Worimi People
New South Wales
Newcastle
Olive Tree House has an internal material palette which shies away from the trend of all white interiors and take cues from the exterior; warm plywood linings counter cool concrete floors and offset colourful joinery and doors. The house feels like a home to live in, it has been designed for scuff marks and weathering, it is not precious. Every corner has been taken advantage of; built-in furniture allow for smaller rooms and more storage, a hallway to the guest toilet has a second function of doubling the size of the laundry.
Wet areas are warm and textured to create sense of intimacy and a separate experience to the rest of the house. While the house is compact it makes every square meter work hard .
The interior of Olive Tree House is a testbed for unexpected combinations and experimental details. The material palette is playful but unpretentious and durable, anticipating everyday wear as well as weekends at the beach. Commercial-grade floor coverings sit comfortably alongside polished timber, and cost-effective gyprock walls are offset by warm plywood linings. Colour has been cleverly used as the unifying element, allowing a large variety of textures to come together cohesively.
The house has really changed how we live, the flexibility of the plan makes entertaining just as easy as day to day living. I love how the house engages with the street and doesn’t dominate the streetscape.
I like the connection to the old house; the use of familiar materials and the new security screen is an interpretation of the neighbouring front door.
I love the layers of textures throughout the house and the soft furnishings add further to the liveabilty of the house.