The courtyard of the Walsh Street House.
Photo © Michael Wee
The Walsh Street House
The Walsh Street House epitomises daring and modernist 1950s architecture. While architect Robin Boyd experimented with a distinctive Australian design, this house also embraces a Japanese simplicity of style.
Robin Boyd (1919-1971) was a leader in Australian architecture as well as an author, critic, and public educator in the 1950s and 1960s. Boyd designed the house for his family in 1957 and it is his most well-known work. Tony Lee and Stephen Hare established the Robin Boyd Foundation in January 2005 to increase individual and community awareness, understanding and participation in design.
Boyd may have felt disappointed that his career did not embrace large-scale commissions but in many ways he played an even more significant role in the development of Australian architecture. He acted as the gatekeeper for aesthetic standards and played a crucial intermediary role, through his writing, between the profession and the public.
Karen McCartney, 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses: three decades of domestic architecture
Scroll through the photographs below to see details from the house designed by Robin Boyd. Photographs by Michael Wee for the publication 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses: three decades of domestic architecture, by Karen McCartney.
Street level view of the Walsh Street House
"In Boyd's Walsh Street House, there is little sense from the street of what lies behind, as it turns its back to the road and looks inward. A wall with some high windows set behind a majestic pine (that Boyd was at pains to retain from the original garden) is the only visible clue.
50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses, by Karen McCartney.
Entrance to the Walsh Street House
"Boyd's appreciation of the Japanese aesthetic is evident from the entrance to his house. Despite the modest size of the block, Boyd chose to set the house back from the street to ensure an enormous pine tree, from the original garden, was left in situ. The timber steps are open treads and have a measured, proportionally pleasing quality. In profile, it can be seen that the steps form a bridge from the ground level to the first floor entrance. Simple, circular brass door furniture has the number of the house and the name of its owner engraved in the discs. A striped awning provides protection from the elements."
50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses, by Karen McCartney.
Kitchen of the Walsh Street House
"From formal to family room is via an open staircase from the first floor entry level to ground floor where the kitchen, dining area and family room are located. The kitchen is long and slim, tucked behind the staircase. The rustic effect of the exposed beams is reflected in the treatment of the glazed brick floor. A large throw-down carpet covers much of the brick floor in the dining and living area, but the brick floor was left exposed in the kitchen space, except for a strip of cushioned flooring in front of the appliances. The limed plywood kitchen is economical and functional. It is properly planned with a place for everything - including pots."
50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses, by Karen McCartney.
Main living area of the Walsh Street House
"The main living area is decorated simply with furniture designed by Boyd himself, and a button-backed two-seater sofa by Grant Featherston. The bagged brick walls are painted a warm mottled grey and the boldly coloured carpet was chosen by Patricia Boyd."
50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses, by Karen McCartney.
Furniture at the Walsh Street House
"In addition to pieces of furniture by Grant Featherston and Clement Meadmore, Boyd designed his own furniture specifically for the house at Walsh Street, including the long, low sofa and complementary coffee table. They are simple, clean designs that reflect the Fifties aesthetic for streamlined shapes with little extraneous detailing. The Boyds, unconventionally, used the living space as a bedroom by night, but by day the bed had its own slip cover and cushions to transform it into a furniture piece smart enough for visitors. Celebrated interior designer Marion Hall Best advised Patricia Boyd on the interior décor of the house, in particular recommending the deep red carpet."
50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses, by Karen McCartney.
Dining area of the Walsh Street House
"The corresponding room below the living area is the family/dining/kitchen area. A wall of windows facing the garden illustrates Boyd's great sense of proportion. The raw timber beams, treated only with a light grey stain, owe a debt to the Japanese vernacular he admired, while the exposure of the structural elements emphasises the honesty of the building's construction."
50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses, by Karen McCartney.
