The design is part of the landscape. It sits right on the river.
A lane on one side and the river on the other side. It's a two level apartment building
with three apartments. Every level is surrounded by garden, especially the upper level.
The client came from a rural property where gardening was such a big passion for her,
so we had to try and incorporate the garden into the building.
Part of our main journey in the design process and through the build was to do everything we could to
reduce the bulk and scale of this building. So the big horizontal elements are classic treatment from
mid-century and Japanese design. Dark stained accoya timbers, lots of screening and layering
and wrapping in vegetation. That all helps to reduce the bulk and scale.
We really took the approach to sit with less is more. Overall it's quite a simple palette.
Just honest materials that are handmade and
just give a really nice tactile finish and then we layered on top of that furnishings that had
a little bit more personality. I suppose it filled the space and made it more of a home.
The dining table, the coffee table, all of the headboards were all custom designed.
The polish floors were the basis of the interior and so we wanted to add
a little bit of texture through our tiles and our natural stones.
I don't know if the building disappears but what we want to do is make it as reductive as we can.
Those things are those big horizontal plates, the fine edges where the concrete has a beautiful
curve. So we're adding softness, horizontality and also the layering that comes with the landscape.
In Brunswick Heads and this sort of Byron region, it really is one of the most harsh environments in
Australia. We have big differences between heat and cold, we have salt and tropical rains, so
we're constantly talking to clients about low maintenance buildings.
Concrete is one of the most robust materials one can use in a coastal environment.
It's very beautiful and it's timeless.
Geostone is a decorative concrete brand of Holcim Australia.
Mona Lane is the perfect example of a Geostone residence. You've got an exposed aggregate
driveway with a white quartz, floating steps and this beautiful polished floor.
The different polished finishes can really shift the emphasis. Minimal exposure like we have here
and it's complementary to an ambitious and grand design. The greatest challenge was
the big pours of concrete. There was a degree of anxiousness waiting for that formwork to come off.
We've been working with Geostone for over 30 years, developing recipes for concrete
mixes like coastal cream that we've used here on the lower floors. There was a lot of satisfying
elements to this project. The one that really sticks out to me is the curved concrete soffits.
Because it is such a big open space, we wanted to make it quite cozy and so
to do that we use lighting. As you're guided down the hallway with the beautiful oak paneling,
it sort of slowly reveals the view. So you're always connected to the river.
There's a public walkway in front as well so you're also connected to the community
and the clients enjoy looking over the river, gardening within their own space on an upper
level and just being able to access the amenity of beautiful Brunswick Heads.