Lawler Residence Cleverly Utilises a Single Furniture Element

Lawler Residence cleverly utilises a single furniture element to achieve a complete spatial transformation of an existing 1940s apartment. Mindful of the degree of intervention the budget would allow the seemingly straightforward manoeuvre of introducing a wrapping piece of joinery successfully redefines the sequence of living and working spaces within the apartment. 

The intervention itself forms as part bookshelf, art display, room divider, storage cupboard, desk and work bench constructed as a folding timber element which wraps the existing single dividing wall between the rooms. The form of the piece is materially and geometrically informed by the art deco nature of the apartment with the American Oak finish and coved corners enhancing its ability to appear as a natural intervention to the apartment. This level of respect for the inherent quality of the existing space allows the considered degree of intervention to enhance the unique features of the apartment. It is this wider elevation of the overall space and transformation of the inhabitants’ use of the apartment that the success of Lawler Residence is truly exemplified.

Project Information

Architect: Andrew Donaldson Architecture and Design 

Photography: Tom Ferguson