To coincide with the upcoming exhibition of Iconic Australian Houses at the Museum of Sydney, Karen McCartney’s bestselling book 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses has been re-released in paperback.
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy, which contains a carefully curated collection of 15 of the finest examples of homes from the period. Each designed by a different architect; they’re all designed with a timeless integrity that has a seamless connection to the landscape.
More than anything, this link to the outdoors seems to define the period, with the end of the war breaking down boundaries and bringing about an engagement with the surrounding environment. Think flowing spaces and large glass areas with none of the boxed rooms and corridors that were present in earlier architecture.
The work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Gropius, Alvar Aalto and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, strongly influences the young Australian architects seen in this book, with the economic boom of the time heralding a new approach to domestic design and modernist principles.
For those unfamiliar with Karen McCartney’s impressive resume, she was founding editor of Inside Out magazine for 10 years, has also written 70/80/90 Iconic Australian Houses and currently works as an editorial consultant to online brands including Temple & Webster.
Words and images from 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses by Karen McCartney, published by Murdoch Books, rrp $49.99, photographed by Michael Wee.
