Places and Spaces: Palm Springs Meets Bondi Beach in This Meticulously-Renovated Semi

January 14, 2020 by Rory Carter

When the words Bondi beach house are mentioned, your mind most likely doesn't conjure up images of the Palm Springs desert. In this week's edition of Places and Spaces, we're bringing you something truly unique that flips the idea of Australian coastal design on its head. Bismarck House, designed by Andrew Burges Architects is a breathtaking example of how significantly innovative design can affect not only residents of a home, but an entire community. From the undulating perforated aluminium skin to the meandering tropical landscaping, this project is entirely specific to its site but global in its appeal. This is the blueprint for a new type of beach house.

When your client is none other than Will Dangar of landscape design practice Dangar Barin Smith you can expect the outdoor environment and a connection to the interior spaces to be high on the list of priorities. The garden of this home is more than just a rectangular afterthought and more of a fluid and essential organism that completes the design. The striking cacti and succulents planted en masse allow you to get lost in your very own oasis, while established trees create light and shade. In fact, the project was named after the gigantic Bismarck palm which the house has been specifically designed around. It's the first thing that grabs your attention when passing by and firmly cements the desert/coastal aesthetic in place from the get-go.

The relationship between exterior and interior is blurred here, and a holistic approach to materials and spaces has been taken to make the most of the floorplan and natural light sources. Design Daily worked alongside the architects and have achieved a restrained yet playful result via the use of natural materials like cork, timber and woven elements. Warm-toned rugs and wicker armchairs help to balance the cool hues found in the concrete floors and tactile mortar washed walls. A burgundy piece of joinery is a definite design highlight that further asserts the home's abstract coastal style. As you'd expect, the indoor plant selection is nothing short of enviable. Many of the rooms have the benefit of clever window placement to allow views to the natural landscape, and the Scandinavian-inspired kitchen even features a custom timber screen that opens directly on to the laneway. The architects' sustainable and conceptual approach to this Bondi Beach house helps to uplift this former semi into a modern sanctuary.