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Issue 63 - Kitchen & Bathroom Issue

Issue 63

Kitchen & Bathroom Issue

Habitus 63 is arguably the most aspirational issue of the year with Kitchens & Bathrooms to dream about. Whether a family hub, an entertainer’s paradise or somewhere to grad a quick meal, how we live in and spend time in the kitchen is a very personal question that requires thought and an abundance of resources. Always the aspirational eye candy of design, we have some truly lovely kitchens from Greg Natale, YSG, Splinter Society, Sally Caroline and Studio Johnston. Bathrooms are just as important with Greg Natale, Studio Tate, YSG and Those Architects sharing some fabulous insights

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HouseLab And Killing Matt Woods Re-Imagine Apartment Living
OtherVicki Wilson

HouseLab And Killing Matt Woods Re-Imagine Apartment Living

Australia

The multi-residential building game has long been a developer-driven one. One where the notion of a building as a commodity reigns supreme, and design-thinking, sustainability and end-user needs are more like an afterthought than guiding principles.


The playing field has been set, and with the latest ConceptSpace, Eye In The Sky by Killing Matt Woods, HouseLab and the Sydney-based designer, Matt Woods have strengthened their stance as game-changers in the industry. ConceptSpaces is a HouseLab initiative to explore the potential of residential design in collaboration with some of Australia’s best contemporary design-thinkers. Hot off the heels of some serious recognition for his warehouse conversion, Perfect Storm, Matt Woods has teamed up with HouseLab to reimagine apartment living – with design-thinking, sustainability, and end-user needs front-of-mind.

The collaboration zeros in on contemporary residential design challenges, such as balancing privacy and connectedness in high-density living environments, and the increasing need for home to function also as an office. The resulting concept, aptly titled Eye In The Sky after the haloing domed skylight at the centre of its ceiling, is a malleable, multi-use, and light-filled kitchen and living space.

Citing Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, co-founder of Tokyo-based practice, Atelier Bow-Wow, Matt says, “Privacy doesn’t have to mean enclosed or introvert. A house can have different faces in one.” And so it does. Obscured boundaries, framed views and borrowed light are key, Japanese-inspired design elements, enabling the ConceptSpace to adapt as needed, according to changing resident needs – every day, and over time.

Eye In The Sky’s fluidity is facilitated by modular joinery components. A multi-purpose table positioned beneath a generous window acts as a casual sideboard, a bar-top, or when fully deployed it transforms into a work or study desk. A bi-folding timber-slate ceiling screen can fold down in various configurations to provide privacy, conceal the Cantilever Tableau kitchen, dissect the space, or diffuse light as desired. A modular dining table sits atop a pedestal in the centre of the kitchen area – at its smallest, it can be reduced to an occasional table, while at its most grandiose, it can be extended into a dining table fit for hosting a dinner party. The foldable dining chairs can be stored in the discreet wall cupboard whenever not needed.

In fitting with the HouseLab’s ConceptSpaces initiative, Eye In The Sky has been designed by Killing Matt Woods to inspire industry professionals and homeowners to the possibilities of residential design in the face of the complex design and construction challenges posed by Australia’s growing and ageing populations varying needs. The space might be purely a figment of Matt Wood’s imagination, brought to life with CGIs by Bloom & Glare at present, but it is simple enough, plausible enough and responsive enough, that there is no reason it could not become a reality.

HouseLab
houselab.com.au

Killing Matt Woods
killingmattwoods.com

CGIs by M Parsons
mparsons.co

Dissection Information
Tableau kitchen from Cantilever
Twoinone induction cooktop from Miele
ZIP Water HydropTap Elite
Nebulae Light by Ross Gardam
Hang It All wall hanger by Charles and Ray Eames
Cosm Chair by Herman Miller

Eye In The Sky ConceptSpace by Killing Matt Woods
Eye In The Sky ConceptSpace by Killing Matt Woods
Eye In The Sky ConceptSpace by Killing Matt Woods
Eye In The Sky ConceptSpace by Killing Matt Woods

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About the Author

Vicki Wilson

Tags

cantileverCharles and Ray EamesCity LivingConceptSpacesDesign ThinkingHerman MillerHouseLabInterior DesignJapanese ArchitectureKilling Matt Woods


Related Projects
Issue 63 - Kitchen & Bathroom Issue

Issue 63

Kitchen & Bathroom Issue

Habitus 63 is arguably the most aspirational issue of the year with Kitchens & Bathrooms to dream about. Whether a family hub, an entertainer’s paradise or somewhere to grad a quick meal, how we live in and spend time in the kitchen is a very personal question that requires thought and an abundance of resources. Always the aspirational eye candy of design, we have some truly lovely kitchens from Greg Natale, YSG, Splinter Society, Sally Caroline and Studio Johnston. Bathrooms are just as important with Greg Natale, Studio Tate, YSG and Those Architects sharing some fabulous insights

Order Issue