Lumeah is a house designed by the legendary architect Paul Couch in the 2000s. The original house is in Paul's distinct architectural style, characterised by a rhythm of exposed concrete beams that sit on exposed concrete walls. The exposed slab continues the concrete through most of the house, infilled with bluestone paving in the wet areas, solid timber internal doors, stainless steel joinery, hybrid windows of timber and steel, and a ceiling covering of Stramit Board - panelling made from compressed straw. There is not a single painted surface in the house.
Most of the original house was in its original state, with the exception of the Ensuite which had been subject to some awkward alterations over time. Subsequently, it's layout was not suited to the current owners of the house. While half of the room was in need of work – particularly the shower – the vanity side remained beautifully designed, with its staggered bluestone flooring and stainless steel vanity that ran over the length of the wall. We wanted the Ensuite renovation to empathise and pay homage to the design of the original house as well as Paul's architectural ethos, but we didn’t want to emulate the design.
The flooring in the renovated area would sit adjacent to the original bluestone – but as a natural material new bluestone pavers would contrast with the original. Instead we sourced the material that Paul used in his own bathroom at his Toolern Vale residence - the rare Mintaro Brown Back slate from the Mintaro quarries in South Australia – laid in crazy paving directly beside the retained original flooring.
We removed the glass cladding that had been retrofitted to expose the original concrete wall, and formed a floating concrete wall – poured in situ – to partition the shower from the toilet. This sat upon a concrete that ran perpendicular – a nod to the trabeating beams and walls that formed the original house. This ensured the shower would stay functional as the clients aged in the house.
Fixtures were selected carefully. A stainless steel handrail that would double as a towel rail and a freestanding tower shower that crossed over it. Meanwhile, the shower screen was an oversized glass panel, suspended from a galvanised steel extrusion – maintaining the rigour, honesty and minimalism akin to Paul’s work.
