OXLADE
Built-in the late 1960s, this Brisbane tower building is a prominent modernist beacon along the banks of the Brisbane River. It holds a coveted position amongst the poincianas of Merthyr Park. The brief for the apartment renovation was to remove the many layers of unsympathetic additions and open up the once three-bedroom apartment into a generous two-bedroom entertainers dream. The client, a young professional couple, are keen entertainers and with a single request, that the chef be the party’s centre.
The existing segmented plan was typical of its era; the enclosed perimeter balcony with a double façade further buried the living areas. The proposed design seeks to rectify the outdoor amenity of the apartment by incorporating an operable façade of sliding doors, converting the living area into an outdoor room - an extension of the neighbouring park. An alter like concrete dining bench hosts the cooktop, coffee machine and crockery storage – placing the chef at the centre of any dinner party. The dining room and kitchen amalgamation provides spatial generosity to the living area.
Despite the location of services dictating the plumbing locations, a tighter, more resolved services core provides much-needed amenities for the kitchen, integrated laundry and full-height storage whilst shielding the main bathroom from the living area.
The renovation peels back the years of unnecessary ornamentation to reveal the building structure in its rugged glory. Materials of the building’s era are reintroduced: vermiculite, mosaics and imperfect concrete. The smooth black resin floor counteracts the textured white vermiculite ceiling. The muted palette of the interior aims to enhance the verdant park and riverscape beyond. A contrasting cobalt bathroom provides colour in saturation, a nod to the client’s childhood bathroom featured in Home and Garden in the 1990s.
The apartment seeks to adopt the personality of its owners and, over time, acting as a canvas for memories and collectables.
