Houzz Tour: An Illustrator’s Singularly Creative Home and Studio
Built in the backyard of a subdivided lot, this 1-bedroom residence allows for simple living and creative working
After spending some time experiencing the small, modern apartments of Berlin, designer and illustrator Karin Hearn craved a similarly simple living space, with a creative studio, in her hometown of Perth, Australia. However, finding something affordable and functional in the city was a challenge.
The solution finally arrived when Hearn bought a subdivided backyard and approached architect David Weir to design a versatile and practical one-bedroom home with adjoining studio. “Together with Karin, we designed a house that would suit her life and her work, and make the most out of this gem” of a property, Weir says. “Her creative input to the project was invaluable. This is very much Karin’s house.”
The solution finally arrived when Hearn bought a subdivided backyard and approached architect David Weir to design a versatile and practical one-bedroom home with adjoining studio. “Together with Karin, we designed a house that would suit her life and her work, and make the most out of this gem” of a property, Weir says. “Her creative input to the project was invaluable. This is very much Karin’s house.”
The custom-built house is clad in black clapboard, while the studio section is a prefabricated shed made with specially sourced corrugated fiber-cement walls. “We had to bring the corrugated cladding over from the U.K. after Karin spotted it on an episode of British Grand Designs,” Weir says.
Besides referencing the neighboring historical buildings, the project had to take into account an enormous jacaranda tree that sat right in the middle of the site. The team went to great lengths to protect the tree, and the house was designed to wrap around it. The tree now provides shade through the summer and acts like a second roof to temper the heat on the home.
Profile 6 corrugated sheets: Marley Eternit
Besides referencing the neighboring historical buildings, the project had to take into account an enormous jacaranda tree that sat right in the middle of the site. The team went to great lengths to protect the tree, and the house was designed to wrap around it. The tree now provides shade through the summer and acts like a second roof to temper the heat on the home.
Profile 6 corrugated sheets: Marley Eternit
The beautiful tree did present some problems when it came to the interior, though, as its huge roots protruded where the slab was to be laid. The solution was to raise the slab and have the living area on a wood platform.
With limited interior walls and a simple curtain separating the bedroom from the living area and kitchen, the open-plan home can be used in an informal, spacious way or in a more formal manner. “The intention with not having walls, and with having the large windows, is that the space becomes one light-filled room, and the whole house can be utilized at once,” Weir says. “At nighttime, the curtain can be drawn and you have your privacy.”
The large, low windows bring the outside in and blur the boundaries of the small house, creating a larger sense of space.
Here, a friend’s dog, Xolo, gives the space a test run.
The large, low windows bring the outside in and blur the boundaries of the small house, creating a larger sense of space.
Here, a friend’s dog, Xolo, gives the space a test run.
Thanks to the home’s small footprint, there’s less space to heat, cool and illuminate, making it more energy-efficient. “The house has some decent passive design chops too — thermal mass in the floors, north- and south-facing windows for light and heat, lots of windows that open to let the Fremantle Doctor [cooling afternoon sea breeze] blow through the house and good insulation throughout,” Weir says. The concrete floor also contributes to the efficiency of the house by absorbing the sun’s heat and helping to keep the house warm in winter.
Both the kitchen and living areas open onto the garden, with large sliding windows that bring the outside in. On a fine summer’s day, the house mixes with the garden and the vast jacaranda branches overhead.
Maxi Film birch plywood kitchen: Maxi Plywood
Maxi Film birch plywood kitchen: Maxi Plywood
The walls in the living areas are bright white to allow Hearn’s artwork to pop, while other bright highlights and the black plywood kitchen also draw attention.
Doors are painted in vibrant tones to complement Hearn’s playful illustrations, highlight the colors and textures used throughout the home, and bring a sense of warmth and depth to the otherwise gray-and-white box.
A wet room, which features the same seamless concrete floor that runs throughout the house, has an intense orange skylight in the middle. “We used a bright orange polycarbonate product to create the light, and when the sun shines, the white room glows orange,” Weir says.
In the studio, the rawness of the bare plywood walls reflects Hearn’s need for a simple creative space that’s filled with light. The sliding yellow doors open onto the lane, ready to welcome clients and guests.
On the south side, soft light streams through translucent corrugated polycarbonate cladding, sourced from Italy to match the black corrugated exterior walls.
The success of this small house is a testament to the architect’s strong working relationship with his client. “Karin was really hands-on, she even built some cabinetwork and installed her studio ceiling. She worked with us all the way to make sure every design choice worked with the style and attitude of the house,” Weir says.
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Who lives here: Illustrator and designer Karin Hearn
Location: Mount Lawley suburb of Perth, Australia
Size: 645 square feet (60 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom, plus a 322-square-foot (30-square-meter) studio, all on a 2,605-square-foot (242-square-meter) lot
Architect: David Weir Architects
Awards: Shortlisted for the 2016 Houses Awards in the Sustainability and New House Under 200 Square Meters (2,153 square feet) categories, special mention at the 2016 Architizer A+ Awards
Rather than enlisting a high-volume home builder, Hearn sought out an architect who would recognize the potential of her unique site. “The nature of this beautiful [city] site, tucked away on a quiet [lane], allowed for wonderful opportunities” that an average home wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of, Weir says. “For example, the backyard faces onto an old service lane of historical worker’s cottages and tool sheds; therefore the environment naturally informed the industrial-style materials.”