Though drowning in marvelous Modernist Australian homes at present, some will always cut through and demand to be shown ASAP. This incredible find in regional Victoria is such a home. Though teetering on the timeline of what we’d deem Mid-Century, the architectural pedigree of this one is jaw-dropping from the very outset. Built c.1983 it was a commission by prominent local; Dr. Nadarajah. A native of Sri Lanka, the good doctor set about employing architect (and fellow countryman) Bala Balendra to draw up this family home. Balendra himself a protegee of Geoffrey Bawa, a global giant of architecture often cited as the greatest architect from Asia in the Twentieth Century and force behind the MCM variations of Tropical Modernism and Regional Modernism. And you can see this inspiration and consummate architectural practice all its glory right here. This large home of pragmatic living/sleeping zones, constructed with the raw beauty of unadorned materials creates a series of flowing spaces of light and shade, line and texture, immaculate in its condition. Flawless in design, materials and construction (and cheaper than a rundown bungalow in middle Melbourne) this singular slice of International Modernism is incredible to discover and leaves no doubt as to why several people already are belting up the Calder to take a shot at being its next custodian.
