“When designing a house, the contemporary architect thinks of an ‘environment for living’ rather than of empty box-like rooms…. He designs actual spaces in the interior for specific purposes and designs the furnishings and equipment that go into them”
Harry Seilder, Sunday Telegraph, 21st September 1952.
After many years of dreaming MA finally made it out to the bush burbs of Sydney and placed an offering at the sacred site of Australian Modernism; The Rose Seidler House (1948-50).
Being a visitor to MA, you may be familiar with the work of Harry Seidler; the globetrotting Viennese refugee who studied under the very inventors of Modernism internationally – Walter Gropius, Oscar Niemeyer and Marcel Breuer. Friend of Le Corbusier and Australian contemporary of Robin Boyd, Seidler was an all round innovator whose domestic and public buildings to this day stand as groundbreaking works of national significance. In the 1940s, Whilst Seidler traipsed the world working and studying with the giants of Modernism, his parents and brother had decided to settle in Sydney, far from the turmoil of WW2 Europe. Rose Seidler, like any good mother, then lured her son to the southern continent with the idea of a family reunion and a challenge to design and build a home for them, and so in 1948, the work began.
On a glorious, sunny afternoon with barely a puff of wind, we wound into the driveway and walked down the hill, which leads to the home which had been lived in until 1980, and became part of the Historic Houses Trust in 1988. A glimpse of two other Modernist Seidler family homes, still occupied by the same relatives, peeking though the gums on either side.
Walking inside and reverently taking off our shoes, we padded upstairs almost like visiting friends, so familiar is this home to Australian Modernist Fans, and moreover exuding that same kind of welcome and warmth, which can so often elude more recent incarnations of Modern Architecture.
The house itself is set up in two distinct zones; the private sleeping quarters and the public living areas. The transitional space of central playroom, sundeck and stairs could be utilised to extend either of these living spaces, depending on the circumstances of the day.
Windows are large, and wanting to be left open to bring in the tranquil bush at any opportunity, and the central deck with it’s mural is so seamless in it’s integration of indoor/outdoor living space, it is hard to comprehend how refreshing it must have been in the closed, colonial mindset which was Australian housing in 1950.
The bedrooms are simple with a décor that tweaks the nostalgia of anyone who ever slept under a chenille bedspread, or read by a built in aluminium lamp. The functional spaces; kitchen and bathrooms, would not be out of place in any new home today and host a collection of classic technology including what must be one of the first dishwashers for domestic use.
The furnishings within the Rose Seilder house were all personally purchased by the family from the New York show rooms of Herman Miller or Knoll or designed by Seilder himself pre-1960, and form one of the most important collections of domestic Mid-Century designs in the country. The list of furniture reads as a hit list of every collectable Modernist name; Eames, Saarinen, Ferrari-Hardoy etc… with many recognisable items still in production and high demand to this day.
After looking around for quite some time we had a chat with the volunteer house minder, and we were struck by the dedication of the Modernist Australians in Sydney who not only care passionately about this home and give up much of their time to look after it, but who are also so approachable, wanting to share the locations of other houses around the way, and generally talk up the virtues of Australian Mid-Century Architecture and style. It was also impressive on our trip to see the visitors’ book filled with praise from all over Australia, and the world.
Rose and Max Seidler often welcomed curious tourists into their home when they lived there, and these days the throng of appreciators is getting larger and larger. Although loved and respected enough to be heritage listed and open to the public every Sunday, Rose Seidler House grows older and more delicate every year. The important few who look after it do their best to keep everything as is, but there is a nagging worry that one day it will be simply to precious to walk through and poke around every week. However, we at MA know it’s better to have official recognition of such places and deal with preservation issues as they arise, rather than leaving them to the mercy of a bulldozer, which is not an uncommon outcome for even Seidler homes in Sydney still.
So, with that in mind, MA heartily recommends a trip to Sydney, a sunny day and a visit to the Rose Seidler House anytime you can do it. We hope to pop by again someday.
MA.
Historic Houses Trust – Rose Seidler House
One Response to “A pilgrimage to Rose Seidler”
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I have been to Rose’s house and felt like I was coming home. I have loved it before it was remotely cool to do so and will continue to. An amazing property on many levels.