Designed by Melbourne-based Conrad Architects, this new family home in Los Angeles typifies the practice’s approach to balancing a contemporary and minimal aesthetic with traditional influences. Exhibiting a sense of calm and retreat achieved through the timeless aesthetic and controlled design, the careful selection of materials is based upon their environmental and wellness qualities. This includes a preference for natural materials that showcase integrity and resilience, with colours reflective of natural timbers, stones, linens, plasters, renders and sands. The overall result is a rich and warm interior that portrays a restrained luxury.
To delve a little deeper into this incredible project and find out the inspirations behind it, I chatted to Paul Conrad, founder of Conrad Architects…
Tell us about your overall vision for the interior and the materials you used to bring this to life.
The merging of classical and contemporary values within a space is sometimes referred to as the “transitional genre” of architecture. This is a great way to describe the foundation of what is central to the design of LA Residence; an empathetic transition between the old and the new.
With restrained luxury and balanced architectural nuances throughout, we were able to create a vision for this space that evokes calmness through minimalism and warmth through textured layering. It’s not too often these values can work in unison, however, the focus on natural materials throughout enabled us to embrace the juxtaposition seamlessly. The oak timber flooring has a certain rawness to it, and the white-washed walls being slightly off-white, provide an element of movement, texture and softness to the space.
The bathroom almost feels like an additional living area. How did you achieve this sense of calm and cohesion?
The bathroom of LA Residence is complementary to the rest of the house, with timber flooring and natural linen curtains that diminish any sense of disjointedness from one room into the next. This softens the transition between interior spaces that—traditionally speaking—often have prominent stark differences between them.
What were the key influences for this project and how did they impact the overall design?
Our approach to this project was driven by a commitment to the definitive architectural principles of space, light and proportion. The space of LA Residence borrows from traditional Georgian architecture, in that it boasts tall, slender, vertical proportioning that invites a sense of vastness and light throughout.
Images by Third Aesthetic
The bathroom lighting is by Apparatus Studio, and the chair is by Rick Owens.
For more inspiration from Conrad Architects, take a look at the beautiful Melfort Townhouses.
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