Don visited Jake Dowse and his wife, Lu Ipkendanz, at their fabulous beachside apartment in the Sydney suburb of Tamarama. A freestanding terrace house originally stood on the steep site, which Jake, who is an architect, bought and redeveloped as a small block of four apartments. He decided not to play it safe with the design, but to have some fun and open the building up to the sun and the panoramic beach views. The result is an excellent example of Australian contemporary design with a Mexican (Luis Barragan) influence.
The building is spacious, airy and colourful. Blocks of bold, happy colours mixed with white work well against the backdrop of ocean and sky. The apartments are all linked to outdoor living, with beach views from the front and views of tiled courtyards, water features and coloured walls from the back. Inside the Dowse apartment the walls are white. Strong primary colours have been used in the minimal furnishings and decorative items, and yellow stairs lead up to an open plan bedroom. All windows open for cross ventilation and plantation shutters are used throughout. The flooring is hoop pine.
The building was designed by the owner, architect Jake Dowse of Jake Dowse Architects, 13 Roylston St, Paddington, NSW, 2021. Lu Ipkendanz, who is an interior designer, selected the colour scheme. Phone: (02) 9380 5777 Fax: (02) 9380 7153 Email: Jake.dowse@bigpond.com All colours used were Murobond. Murobond paint is available Australia wide. For your closest outlet contact Murobond Coatings, phone (02) 9906 7299, fax (02) 9439 7593.