Almost Modernist
Celebrating architectural legacy & light-touch interior design in this 1982 family home
Explore the family home of our Senior Designer | Associate Bridget Ryan, who purchased this 1982 Fasham Johnson home after a whirlwind Covid inspection left her feeling ‘completely obsessed’.
Delighted by the architectural legacy of the home, which finds synergies with Nexus Designs’ collaborations with mid-century icons Merchant Builders, Bridget and her husband Adam have created an unpretentious, relaxed and welcoming home with light-touch updates that suit their family needs and personalities alike.
Working within the existing home footprint and retaining much of the original character – a task Bridget often undertakes for Nexus Designs interior design clients – was a key component to honouring the architectural legacy of this home. With an open, ‘doughnut’ floor plan, timber ceilings, glass bricks, clerestory windows, northern aspect and rendered blockwork, there is an authentic, homely, mid-century feeling to the spaces.
Endeavouring to update the home ‘quietly’, Bridget looked to the era of great Italian and Danish design masters, as well as imagery and pieces from the Nexus Designs archives, including a joyful yellow dining table-top and feature blue artwork, both from the launch of our Using Australian Colour book in XXXX.
“Marimekko prints, Italian plastic furniture, Bentwood chairs, and colours that reference the Australian landscape were some of the key characteristics that Nexus helped introduce into the Australian interior design zeitgeist of the 60s and 70s,” says Bridget.
Ultimately this is a home for honest family living; with their son nearing on three, Bridget reflects on how the space doesn’t feel too precious for their young family. “I know that’s going to be something that delights Quin as he gets older – the fact that he can run around inside the house in a circle,” she laughs.
Friend and colleague of Bridget, Senior Designer | Associate Myra Murtagh says “this home speaks of Bridget and Adam’s personalities as soon as you step through the door – it’s calm and sophisticated but completely lived in, with gentle nods to a Nexus upbringing. We’ve had many long evenings over wine in this home, which envelopes you in the legacy of great architecture, design and friendship.”
Almost Modernist Carnegie
Interior Design Bridget Ryan
Photography James Geer