On a recent getaway along Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, we stayed in a beautiful seventies house – which has remained largely unrenovated since the family purchased the property at the turn of the century.
The integrity of the architect’s design came through in many large and small details, and the original 70’s features were prominent around every corner. Staying at this house served as a reminder of the wonderful design aspects from that era, and we will explore how to bring this through into the modern age of living.
Seventies interiors cannot boast a resurgence of the same dominance that mid-century design has – possibly as the overall look can seem very themed. Looking at a concept image of a 1970’s interior may prove difficult to apply to our existing spaces, and its use is often limited to hospitality projects which aim for a level of theatricality.
Having said that, there are invaluable components from seventies design which have endless merit to be incorporated into our current ways of living. For this article, we will focus on the strongest theme from that era: CONNECTION.
When walking in through the front door, there was a vista past glazed double doors that opened to a large terrance, on to the garden and the sea beyond. Turning right, was a kitchen with an island, dining table, and a balcony overlooking the right side of the garden. To the left, an iron spiral staircase creating an open channel between the floor below, and the mezzanine level above. Wherever you looked, your eyes would have a connection to space beyond.
It was open plan, but without being a large empty space. This strikes a beautiful balance: there is an open channel of energy throughout the house, but with soft breaks and private nooks.
Picture a ribbon which connects through the whole house… the ribbon flows undisturbed through all communal spaces, as if there is a path to follow. Along the way it passes various areas which can be as connected or separate to their adjacent spaces, as the user needs them to be.
HOW TO RECREATE THIS COMPONENT OF BALANCED CONNECTION:
Low slung furniture
Sunken living rooms are a great concept, creating new levels in an existing home is a logistical and financial challenge. Instead, choose pieces that sit close to the ground – this enables undisturbed visas through the open plan space and beyond, and offers the sunken living room feeling.
Try to keep all furniture items at the same height, as this will allow the living area to read cohesively as its own area amongst the larger expanse of the house.
Divide, don’t close
The concept of an open plan space with sufficient visual and audio privacy can sound like a juxtaposition. However the answer is simple: using room dividers, half height partitions, glazed partitions, mezzanines and doorways. These architectural elements provide opportunities to gently corner off areas. Making them feel cosy and enclosed, whilst retaining a connection with other spaces beyond, as they are not fully closed off from one another… Think of the aforementioned ribbon, which can waft from room to room.
Bridge the gap
Create a dynamic space which encourages the idea of fluid movement between all areas by using furniture to draw people through. We are referring to long horizontal design features between ‘rooms’ to bridge these pockets of spaces together. An easy way to do this is a feature wall – and we will deep dive into modern 70’s materiality in the next article, but perhaps more unique and in keeping with the era’s look, is sprawling cabinetry. Think long floating storage units with flip down fronts, or without a front at all.
With this article being primarily focussed on the interior architectural components of 70’s design, next month we will be looking at the colour trends, finishes and materiality from the era, and how to bring them forth into modern day palettes.
