Architecture at the Heart of the Home

A survey of outstanding Australian residences that explores the role architecture can play in defining the heart of the home.

Increasingly, domestic architecture has sought to enhance everyday life by providing resonant settings that reflect the human need for comfort, safety and connection. A house has walls and ceilings, and perhaps a garden, but beyond that, there is always that one part of a home that becomes a place of belonging, around which people gather.

Architecture at the Heart of the Home showcases those special places and features that make a residence unique. Of course, there are kitchen and dining areas, but a home’s heart can also be the physical link between the interior and the exterior, a view, a particular room, or even an architectural feature: a pool that reflects the sky overhead, windows that frame a panoramic vista, or a building’s position in the landscape.

The projects in this book are not necessarily grand in scale, but all reveal extraordinary settings that fill the heart with joy and the soul with happiness – the places where memories are made.

About the Authors

Jan Henderson is an editor, writer, speaker and webinar facilitator within the architecture and design community. She is principal of Henderson Media Consultants and contributes to various magazines and online portals, drawing from her extensive experience as editor of inside, guest editor of Indesign, associate publisher at Architecture Media and editor and interviewer for Architel.tv.

Dianna Snape is a Melbourne-based photographer specialising in architecture, interior and landscape photography. Her work features regularly in leading architectural and design magazines and books, both nationally and internationally. Dianna serves on the Industry Advisory Committee for RMIT's photography and visual arts courses, participating in internship programs and supporting emerging photographers.