Vibrant Shutter House with Lake View

Promethean Charms

Strikingly imaginative through the choice of finishes, its textures and its architectural details, Perth-based State Of Kin’s Shutter House exudes the charm of Western Australia with an array of furnishings from Mobilia.

Situated across from the iconic Lake Monger in Wembley, Western Australia, Shutter House is an imaginative and unique home designed by the Perth-based architectural and interior designer studio State Of Kin with furnishings by Mobilia. This inspiring team up has led to a forward thinking home designed for the modern family and furnished with some of the world’s most renowned and decorated brands; carefully hand picked to compliment the architectural beauty of the home.

With an open plan living, dining and kitchen space on the second floor affords panoramic views of Lake Monger, and connects to a terrace and pool area with separate studio, the State of Kin team curated with a clear focus on creating a light filled sanctuary that is rich in colour and materiality. Adding to the details is a curated selection of playfully sophisticated furniture pieces and contemporary abstract art, adding to the sophistication of Mobilia furniture. The residence showcases furniture from design firms such as Moroso, CC Tapis and Glas Italia curated throughout.

The house embraces the signature wood and cement design; the design team wanted to create a uniquely Australian home, one that incorporated a variety of both multicultural and local sources. For Shutter House, that began with an appreciation of traditional Japanese architecture, with its emphasis on graceful woodworking and design elements that maximize natural light.

The front balcony, constantly bathed in sunlight provides an inner viewing to the timber battened operable shutters. This is graced by the welcoming relaxed vibe of Urquiola’s Vimini collection by Kettal; that highlights a modern twist of traditional materials both elegant
and warm.

The residence is spread over three levels. The ground floor consists of a four car garage, wine cellar and entry into a spectacular three storey void that connects all levels via a feature staircase. The timber entry and elevator shafts are flanked by crisp white porcelain wall lights by Michael Anastassiades which sit effortlessly within the playfulness of the architecture, as well as an opening for a dramatic glass-encased stairwell.

The two upper floors guard the private areas, with the bedrooms and the social area on the top floor where the kitchen is located and an outdoor area with a swimming pool. The home’s steep sloped site incorporated the multi-level gardens and patios at the back of the house, which allowed each of the first floor bedrooms to have its own private courtyard, including one with a cutaway peak into the double-height swimming pool. On the second floor, the living spaces take full advantage of the pool deck and dining area.

To counter the exposed concrete walls, the design team worked with Mobilia to create a contrast with softer shapes, color, and textured surfaces. Further, the use of Patricia Urquiola’s gem like Fordite rug by CC Tapis creates a standout in the entrance bringing a joyful sense of scale and colour to the entry.

The design team’s use of furniture and forms to define space in the gallery area works wonders. For the main living area, the design team opted to use Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola’s new sofa to anchor the room, giving the space a soft and organic look against the hard lines of the architecture. The sofa also works in a multi-directional use, allowing the user to face outward toward the light filled courtyard or reflect back at the artwork on the opposing wall when using the intermediate space as a place of reflection and pause.

The modern and versatile kitchen looks onto both the dining room and the main living area which is a gentle balance of form, colour and understated style. The kitchen island stands isolated in the middle of the room, its utility easily mistaken for art. The exposed concrete ceilings are matched by the heft of locally-sourced granite, quartzite, and travertine countertops, but there is nothing muted about these stones. The design team incorporated other subtle reminders of the Japanese theme, which speaks back to the expression of the designers appreciation of Japanese architecture through the use of light and detail.

The master bedroom is fitted out with Patricia Urquiola’s latest bed for Moroso and an extension of her Redondo collection inspired by 1960’s American cars, the soft curves of their body work and their upholstered interiors. The three bathrooms on this level are tied together by the clever use of graphic tiling, vibrant colour and the fascinating and magical Shimmer mirrors designed by Urquiola for Glas Italia, which throw dancing shadows of colour on the tiling behind.

When choosing what shades would go into the home’s color palette, the design team drew heavily on the Western Australian landscape, with the Pindan red dirt of the Northwest, the luminous white beaches and the dusty eucalyptus greens offsetting the understated floor tiles and the walls.

Spaces for rest and contemplation are separated from vibrant living spaces, they are smaller in scale and more intimate in ambience; yet each is connected to the exterior and allows flexibility in the ability to be open and airy, or private and tranquil. The outdoor and living spaces on the top floor are dynamic and bold, they are grand in scale but still welcoming, with clear visual connection to the outdoors from all points of view, perfectly coordinated for entertaining or energetic and lively gatherings.
Sober but intense, the project surprises by the way the shapes and colors of the chosen furniture coordinate with the elegant architecture of the building.

“Good design to me is about an approach more so than the typology of a project, the projects location or the limitations that each project uniquely and evidently presents”