Editorial from The Weekly Review 'California Dreaming'

Please note: The following image is the news thumbnail and will only appear in the right-hand navigation under "More News"

Architecture and construction company Inform has launched its latest house pitched at the high-end market.

The design of Inform’s new California House is inspired by the classic Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, California.

The Kaufmann House was designed by Richard Neutra in 1946 and was commissioned by Edgar J. Kaufmann snr, a Pittsburgh department-store tycoon who, a decade earlier, commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build the famous+ Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.

The Desert House was designed to emphasise a connection to the desert landscape, while offering shelter from harsh climatic conditions.

The flat-roofed house features large, sliding glass walls that open the living spaces and main bedroom onto patios. Major outdoor rooms are enclosed by movable vertical fins that can be manoeuvred to provide protection from sandstorms and the intense heat. An open-plan living and dining space is at the centre of the house.

Inform’s California House has been designed by Pleysier Perkins Architects, who featured recently on Grand Designs Australia.

Simon Perkins told The Weekly Review that Inform had been inspired by the design of the Kaufmann House and approached the architects with the idea.“We felt Neutra’s timeless, classic approach was worth pursuing. 

We have always been interested in mid-century American architecture and while the Kauffman house was radical at the time it was built, it is essentially classic. We liked the simplicity and the dynamic look of it,” he says.

“We have designed many open-plan, open-air, pavilion-style homes in different parts of Australia and were inspired by the way Neutra designed the house to enhance the beauty of its landscape. While we would never claim that our suburban landscape equates to the Californian desert, the indoor and outdoor relationship of the design is fundamental to the way we live in Australia.”Perkins also says the large roof planes used in the Kauffman House suit Australia very well as they provide solar protection.

“We have designed the house with the living areas downstairs and the private area upstairs. The open-plan style of the ground floor is in keeping with the contemporary nature of the way we live,” he says.

The house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms — the master bedroom has an en suite and walk-in robes.Cameron McKimm, Inform’s marketing and development manager, said the group was excited to offer a high-end home “The home will have all the features you would expect in a high-end home but with Inform value. 

We are also offering more affordable versions of the house starting from $600,000,” he said.

The display suite will be in the Hampton Street Dendy Village Shopping Centre.