Magic House | WOWOWA | 2021 | 澳大利亚
Weaving together the nostalgic and the personal, Magic House by Monique and Scott Woodward of WOWOWA is a joyful expression of colour and character that reflects the “extraordinarily ordinary” realities of domestic life.
Led by Monique and Scott Woodward, WOWOWA is a Melbourne-based practice centred on the philosophy that residential architecture should be joyful, story driven and full of character. Monique explains that she designed Magic House for her family while on maternity leave. “The colour palette is a nostalgic blend – the pinky-peach heirloom tones of my childhood home in Sydney, fused with rich maroons, fleshy reds and deep pinks. It was all very womb-inspired.” Informed by the quiet intensity of early motherhood and the isolating conditions of Covid lockdowns, the house became “a comforting marsupial pouch, making up for the village that never arrived”.
Built in the 1930s, the original house is a dual occupancy Californian bungalow on Wurundjeri land in Northcote, Melbourne. When Monique and Scott first came across the house in 2016, it still held some of its original charm, but there had been numerous changes over the years, and it was in a state of disrepair. Monique describes the house as “an ugly duckling with great bones and lofty ceilings that desperately needed restumping, insulation and a new floor”. Despite these challenges, they saw the potential for what it could become. “All the windows faced south, but the white house next door reflected the most beautiful light into the rooms,” she continues. “I love playing with quirky heritage ornament, so when we saw her at auction, we couldn’t resist and got straight to work.”
Some of the couple’s first moves were to change how the house presents to the street and relates to its context. Determined to give the facade “a proper makeover”, the pair decided to strip off the cladding and replace it with a more traditional Californian bungalow material. “What I call ‘glob gob render’ – that gloriously chunky texture which gives a robust, grounded feel,” she explains. Additionally, they refurbished the terracotta roof tiles and changed the entry door. Like many terraces and bungalows, the west-facing front verandah had been enclosed in the 1970s. Instead of restoring it, Monique and Scott found that the dimensions of the old sunroom were the perfect fit for an ensuite. They added mottled glass windows to the bathroom to impart a sense of grandeur, and the front facade was complete.
Now, the burnt-orange rendered facade provides the perfect contrast to the verdant front garden that is open to the street. Even though the neighbour on the other side of the house had fenced their front garden, it was important for Monique and Scott to keep the garden unfenced as an offering to the street. They wanted to “give something back to the neighbourhood and maintain a sense of openness and shared community space”. A rare occurrence on a suburban street, this break from the typical string of fences that line the footpath offers a moment of intrigue that hints at the surprises within the rest of the residence.
Throughout the front part of the house, where the bedrooms are located, there’s a joyful interplay between old and new. Original details such as door handles and fireplaces have been restored, but the walls have been richly coloured with warm gingers and deep yellows, which give these spaces a contemporary feel. Moving down the corridor to the rear, a change in flooring marks the threshold between old and new – timber floorboards transition to maroon terrazzo tiles speckled with pink. Here, in the open-plan kitchen, living and dining room, the space dramatically shifts, and the major work of the renovation are revealed.
To maximise the internal space, the house has been widened to the site boundaries and stretched vertically to match the existing roof pitch, resulting in a six-metre-high slanted ceiling, “the ultimate contextual move that harmonised beautifully with the original house”. This space is bold and generous, but the materials and colours ensure that it feels enveloping and warm. Monique recounts that the kitchen, her favourite space in the house, is emblematic of the ambitions of the practice. “Those soaring six-metre ceilings are classic WOWOWA: compact footprints balanced with generous volumes. There’s something sublime about that scale.”
The selection and use of colour was driven by many influences. Not only did nostalgia lead to the use of pink and red tones but it was also a reference to one of Monique’s favourite rooms in Melbourne. “I love being surrounded by artwork and collected objects, so displaying them was a must. I’ve always adored the maroon-painted room at the NGV with its salon-style hang, and we re-created that feeling using copper Italian glazed bricks with the cutest curved expansion detail – a tiny joy bomb in the middle of it all.” Colour continues into the backyard with a pink pergola, which casts shadows across the interior’s pink ceiling in winter.
The design and construction of the project largely took place during the Covid lockdowns, which in Melbourne were extensive and long-running. This influenced Monique and Scott’s approach to the design while they were dreaming of travel. “The pergola’s ornamentation was inspired by my favourite Indian cinquefoil motif. Our practice always embeds personal stories and collective nostalgia into a design.” In another example, Monique’s lifelong yearning for a grand piano informed the design of the kitchen. “I always wanted one, so I designed the island bench to resemble it. It’s playful and highly functional, which has become our signature: practical whimsy.”
The pandemic also restricted the selection of materials. Monique remembers that “the beautiful caramel tiles were in short supply due to Covid. I had to ration them and ended up painting other areas of the bathroom.” However, there was a positive to this obstacle, as it encouraged WOWOWA to “rethink how much tiling we actually need. We now try to keep it lean in every project. While the world panic-bought toilet paper, our studio panic-bought FFE!” she says with a laugh.
With construction finishing in 2021, Monique, Scott and their daughter have experienced the house through the seasons. “Living with it has reinforced how much textures and colours matter. As the seasons or time of day change, the light dances off surfaces in ways that are constantly surprising and delightful.” And it’s a house that works in both summer and winter. While the living room opens up to the backyard in the warmer months, in winter it stays warm and cosy thanks to good insulation and hydronic heating. “Thermal comfort is everything.”
The process of designing their own home was both a professional and personal reckoning for Monique and Scott, an opportunity to step into the shoes of the client. “Designing my own home meant doing the deep reflection we ask of our clients,” she notes. “It gave me an even deeper appreciation for their vulnerability, their vision and their collaboration. It was humbling – and powerful.” Magic House’s eventual sale, and the reaction it provoked in the community, affirmed for Monique and Scott the value of architecture that connects deeply. “We were overwhelmed by the response – so many people connected with it emotionally.” Distilling WOWOWA’s ethos into a physical reality, Magic House is both a family home and a love letter to what architecture can be at its most generous.
Architecture and interior design by WOWOWA. Build by Never Stop Group.
- 项目文案：Anna Tonkin
- 项目摄影：Martina Gemmola
- Portrait by：Tim O’Connor
- 转载自：The Local Project
- 图片@The Local Project
- 语言：英语
- 编辑：序赞网
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