We hear about how art inspires architecture and vice-versa, but rarely do we get to experience that dialogue. That is, until we encounter the Cross-Stitch House.

Initially given the task to find a home for three tapestries made by the client’s mother, FMD Architects set out to turn that single requirement into a perfect marriage of art and architecture through this home renovation. Using timber beams as the main material source, FMD Architects blended the landscape of the site with the existing house while expanding the living room space by drawing in maximum natural light for cozy and homey vibes. The traditional stitching technique heavily influenced the thesis of this home expansion: weaving together the thresholds between the new and old spaces—and their connection to the outdoor space.

Borrowing the concept of stitching, FMD Architects successfully fused the new house form with the old and already-established design approach. The design of the Cross-Stitch House reminds us that the beauty of an architect’s job is not to merely create a room for a work of art but to let the art engage in loving conversation with the space in which it stays.

Timber, Natural Light, The Environment

Here at the Cross-Stitch House, FMD Architects locally sourced timber beams as the material focal point to open up the living room, creating a welcoming ambiance for the interior space. Sticking to one main material—and having it locally sourced—afforded minimal cost to the client and the environment. Being able to use the least to create the most is the ultimate test and an impressive demonstration of a designer’s resourcefulness and creativity. 

On the exterior, the timber wood frames create a skeletal frame of the traditional, pitched-roof house form which actually becomes a wonderful shading system for the outdoor space. Lights and shadows dance across the stone pavers and disappear behind the glass façade of the living room. Additionally, a mirror is placed at the end of the courtyard to illustrate a—visually—larger outdoor space. These timber beams run from the exterior through the courtyard into the living room, joining at the hips with the existing house.

Strategically positioned skylights and windows allow for proper light floods and cross-ventilation that remove any barriers between outdoor and indoor spaces in the house. Above the dining table, light streams peak through the skylight glass where the timber frames meet at a focal and ending point. Residual shadows from the trees and wood frames in the courtyard tenderly dance and flicker in the dining room. These timber frames didn’t just provide light and spatial visuals. The beauty of this interior design is the way light and material play alongside each other, the same way the interior spaces are in engaged conversation throughout the home.

A Constant Dialogue Between The Traditional And The New

FMD Architects expressed that the “traditional and new are in constant dialogue through the built elements,” employing the fabric-stitching technique as a core inspiration in their design. As a result, this home expansion exceeded all expectations. The cross-stitching wasn’t so much the literal and physical wood frames as it was the concept of weaving the three core spaces of the house together: the private, the shared, and the outdoor. 

The more intimate and private spaces in the house—the bedroom and bathroom—are given similar wood treatments and textures as the rest of the other spaces, completing the design in a respectful and cohesive manner. The joinery detailing of the wood frames not only serves as a structural necessity but a stunning conversation piece among design lovers, as well. In the living room and entertainment spaces, the frames run down, along the walls, and transformed into shelving units for extra storage spaces under the television. This seamless transition from structure to user-focused elements alludes to modern Japanese and Swiss architecture. The color scheme of the interior remains minimalistic and mod throughout the house: natural wood and white, with accentual stone-gray finishes. This minimalistic approach to the color scheme forms a solid base to display the client’s mother’s tapestries, coming full circle with how the architects’ design journey first embarked.

Whether it is the attention to detail or the ingenious stitch of spaces with a single material, FMD Architects successfully cross-stitched the interior and outdoor spaces in a cohesive manner. More importantly, the resulting design is respectful to the client’s wishes, environmental integrity, and the conversation between art and architecture.

PROJECT DETAILS

Project size: 115 m2

Site size: 157 m2

Completion date: 2013

Building levels: 2

Photography: Peter Bennetts