Take a closer at this home inspired by the dramatic beauty of Karijini
With its impressive gorges, alluring shadows and tranquil corners, how could the spectacular landscape of Karijini National Park possibly be translated to a Wembley Downs home?
Designed by architectural designer Tenille Teakle, Karijini House manages to channel the dramatic beauty of its namesake, while also functioning as a warm family home for the designer.
You’ll be able to get an up close and personal look through the home at this year’s Open House Perth, returning on November 9-10, 2024 and offering a backstage pass to Perth’s most interesting design destinations. Part of a global network of Open House events, the first Open House Perth was held in 2012 – and since then has welcomed over 400,000 design lovers to hundreds of architectural spaces normally hidden from the public!
Native landscaping, front steps of stacked stone and the robust, textural form of rammed concrete immediately evokes the rugged Karijini landscape – with the narrow brickwork that encloses the upper level of the home chosen to mimic the banded iron formations seen in Karijini’s gorges.
Hidden behind the rammed concrete? A secret watering hole between walls of rocks: the home’s natural lap pool, with its own magical window into the home’s cavernous basement.
Darkness is, very often, looked at as a negative – particularly when it comes to our homes. But Karijini House is a great reminder that – as the saying goes – you can’t have darkness without light!
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Vast sliding doors retract into cavities to seamlessly connect the living room to the courtyard (and that tranquil lap pool) like a natural rock formation.
Inside, you can appreciate the narrow beams of light that amplify the texture of the rammed concrete wall – and, elsewhere in the house, more of those narrow, horizontal bricks – like blades of sunlight making its way into labyrinthine Karijini gorges. While artificial lighting mimics these narrow beams, their soft and warm tones evoke the glow of a campfire.
Upstairs, natural light filters through brick breezeways, offering glimpses to the green canopy outside.
Want to see more? You can tour this home and many others as part of Open House Perth – check out the full program at the Open House Perth website.
Image credits: Alana Blowfield