House For An Art Collection

In Balmain East, a waterfront suburb of Sydney, Australia, the white walls of a light-filled home are the canvas for a serious set of canvases. While the house was defined around a couple of salient architectural features—a long, narrow conservatory and a soaring void over the main staircase—its insides were tailored to the needs of its owner, an art patron, by local studio Arent & Pyke.

"The clients' growing collection of art defined the interior approach," said Kristen Hawes, practice manager at Arent & Pyke. Still, care was made to ensure that the interior did not feel like a showroom; the surrounding walls of art instead circumscribe an intimate domestic environment.

A Platner Side Table and a Nakashima Splay-Leg Table in the Balmain East House. Photograph by Tom Ferguson.

A selection of earthy materials helped establish that aura of warmth—solid timber for the floors, stone detailing in the powder room and for the fireplace, bespoke timber joinery in the living room and study. But the palette cedes to an art collection that is eclectic in the truest sense of the word: diverse in size, media, and subject matter, paintings and photographs make every corner worthy of a linger.

Nevertheless, the owners' appreciation for art transcends what can simply be hung on the wall. "Inside, a mix of new and vintage design pieces—mid-century furniture, ceramics, rugs and textiles—are counterpointed by a large collection of books, sculpture and paintings," noted Hawes. "All elements—furniture, materials and details—were selected for their quality and robustness, to create a home that is practical, beautiful, and timeless."

Spoleto Chairs and a Saarinen Dining Table in the Balmain East House. Photograph by Tom Ferguson.

A glimpse into the living and dining rooms proves this point. With its sculptural wire base, a Platner Side Table is tucked into the corner as a functional work of art. Occupying a more central position, the natural grain surface of a Splay-Leg Table by woodworker George Nakashima is weighed down by illustrated art books.

In the dining area, a marble Saarinen Dining Table by gleams in the sunlight, flanked by Spoleto Chairs upholstered in a rich brown leather. Designed in 1971 by Ufficio Tecnico, Knoll International's in-house engineering and design team, the compact cantilevered structure of the Spoleto Chairs bring additional intrigue to the room without overcrowding it. Surrounded by sculpture, paintings, photography, and textiles on all sides, the furniture enters and extends the continuum of modern art that animates the interior of the Balmain East House.

Project Credits:
Design by Arent & Pyke
Photographs by Tom Ferguson