A Ski House in Australia: A Modernist Chalet Gets a Glow Up by Brahman Perera
The owners accused their new house of being a tad cold and imposing. Designed about 15 years ago by eminent Australian firm Cera Stribley with interiors by Hecker Guthrie, the stone structure presented an impressive modernist take on a ski chalet. “It was conceived as a robust, contemporary alpine house with a strong architectural framework and limited palette, very disciplined and intentional,” says designer Brahman (“Brem”) Perera.
“My clients asked me to step in to soften the interiors,” Brem continues. “They deeply appreciated the architecture, but felt the spaces leaned a little austere and formal for how they wanted to live.” The family retreat, located slope side on Australia’s Mount Buller, has since been given an impressive makeover, courtesy of grained wood paneling, glazed brick, patterned textiles, and a lot of inviting landing spots. Using “humanize” to describe his approach, Brem says, “My role was additive rather than corrective.”
Photography by Timothy Kaye, courtesy of Brahman Perera (@brahmanperera).
Above: “Design can only be made stronger and more compelling when it is made from collective minds,” writes Brem. In the entry hall, he introduced matte-glazed pale bricks, wood paneling, and travertine floor tiles.
Unlike most of the pieces in the house, the midcentury-style wall lights were a surprisingly affordable find: they’re the Amore 2 with pleated linen shades, $129 AUD, from Beacon Lighting.
Above: The living room is anchored by Piero Lissoni’s modular Extrasoft sofa for Living Divani and the TMBO chair from 1935 (for more like it, see 10 Easy Pieces: Sheepskin Lounges).
To diffuse the alpine light pouring into the room and add “another layer of warmth and acoustic softness,” Brem used Flusso Haze sheers and Mokum Eternal linen curtains throughout.
Above: Brem describes his work on the house as “layering materials, joinery, furniture, lighting, and art to rebalance the spaces emotionally without undoing the original intent.” The Extrasoft sofa is two-sided—and the ends can be flopped down on, too. The room previously had a flagstone mantel now faced with matte-glazed brick (from a source has since gone out of business) and a lone wooden window bench was recast as extended lounges also finished in brick. Go to Hecker Guthrie to see what the project looked like Before.
Above: Brem wears a pleated silk skirt by Australian designer Lee Matthews and a knit vest: “I liked the idea of something structured yet fluid, echoing the balance we were aiming for in the interiors.” Take a look at a Melbourne project of his.
Above: Poltrona Frau’s Albero bookcase, a design from the late 1950s by Gianfranco Frattini, is used as a bar, bookshelf, and sculptural counterpart to a structural concrete column. Brem says they preserved the exposed slab ceiling—”it lends a suitable industrial edge that contrasts all the soft, textured furnishings.”
Above: The existing kitchen island is now clad in travertine and birch plywood cabinets replaced white linoleum to “bring a quiet domesticity to the spaces without feeling rustic or referential,” says Brem. The David Thulstrup Font stools are from Mobel of Copenhagen.
Above: The Fragment dining table by Simon James is surrounded by Mario Bellini’s leather Cab chairs for Cassina. The pendant light is the Viscontea Suspension, a classic by Achille Castiglioni for Flos. The table lamp on the sideboard is Brem’s own design and will be available on his website later this year.
Above: An upholstered headboard in the wood-paneled main bedroom.
Above: Travertine and white tiles in the main bath.
Above: Brem put an odd, triangular-shaped room to use by building custom bunks: “they’re purposefully deep, each with a built-in step shelf, reading lights, and enough room to make the bed in a comfortable way.” The rug is Brem’s own design for Ruggable. That’s a Wood St. Lamp by BMDO on the USM Haller credenza.
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