A tropical garden home and art studio, Taroona House’s steep forestland context is translated into a compelling interior. Crafted by Archier – whose design director earned a place on the coveted Dulux Study Tour – the residence confidently reflects the colours of its environment.
Located in southern Hobart, Taroona House perches on a steep, densely forested hill. Aside from the trees and intervening shadows, the tropical garden home looks out to the River Derwent, which sits at the bottom of the slope. “We really wanted to embrace the fact that there was an incredibly steep site and figure out ways to work with it,” says Chris Gilbert, design director at Archier. “As such, the buildings are laid along the contours of the site and then the major volumes stack between those.” The path to the front door then leads deep into the property, brushing past natural vegetation before ending under the cover of the most prominent volume.
Inside the tropical garden home, the mudroom features a striking view of the outdoors. On the same level is an intimate living area warmed by curated art, books and furniture, as well as two bedrooms and a bathroom. “When you arrive at the top of the stairs, you’re treated to a garden, which is actually the rooftop of the volume you just walked up from, planted with a lot of native creepers and low-lying plants,” says Gilbert. On the upper level, residents can enter a formal dining room that flows into a kitchen or walk to the living room, where the largest view of the scenery is presented. Another volume houses the art studio, spare bedroom and bathroom.
The paint selection for the tropical garden home is informed both by the client’s appreciation of the landscape and Gilbert’s experience on the Dulux Study Tour. “It was enlightening and that’s what we’re all after, the transmission of information about the current architectural discourse and the people that operate and produce a lot of the work in that conversation,” he says. “The biggest thing that I took away from it is the connection to the people, the other winners of the competition and the Dulux staff. They have been extremely valuable mentors to me over the years.”
In the primary bedroom, Archier used Dulux Jungle Cloak, a calming green colour that echoes the tone of the vegetation outside. To similar effect, the rumpus room is painted with Dulux Battle Dress, a darker, warm-toned green well suited to the southern side of the building. Dulux’s Classic Calm then distinguishes the guestrooms and Stowe White creates a serene studio environment.
“The thing I’m most proud about with this project is the collaboration between us and the clients,” says Gilbert. “Empowering them and giving them space to create a home out of the building that we delivered adds that last critical 10 per cent to the project, which makes it feel like a special home rather than just a piece of design.”
00:00 – Introduction to the Tropical Garden Home
00:47 – The Curated Brief
01:09 – A Walkthrough of the Home
03:30 – Incorporating Colour
04:22 – The Dulux Study Tour
05:00 – Proud Moments
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Photography by Thurston Empson.
Architecture by Archier.
Build by Merlin Constructions.
Materials consulting by Hearth Studio.
Landscape design by Landart.
Engineering by Structured Parametrics.
Filmed by The Local Production.
Edited by Cadre.
Production by The Local Production.
Location: Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.
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