Architect Russel Jack’s House Is Modernist Australian Architecture At Its Best

The Jack House is a beautiful example of Modernist Australian architecture. Built in 1957 by architect Russell Jack as the home for him and his family, the design is clearly very well considered.

australian mid-century modern Russel Jack House in Sydney - exterioraustralian mid-century modern Russel Jack House in Sydney - patio

The house features high-quality wood throughout. Take the dining room which has wood stained in several different shades.

ALSO READ: A Mid-Century Australian Home Gets a Makeover

This starts with the dining table and chairs themselves, which are a pleasing hodgepodge of different designs (and therefore different wood). Meanwhile, the timber floor is a muted light brown, similar to the slightly darker stain of the window panes.

australian mid-century modern Russel Jack House in Sydney - dining area

The panels on one of the walls are darker still, with a slight red tone. This is also repeated in the shelves sitting in front of this wall, the back of which is composed of a single panel of wood, with the grains giving shades spanning from light to dark, and in so doing nicely echoing the variety in the rest of the room.

This variety of chairs continues throughout the rest of the house, with several pieces by Arne Jacobsen (including the Egg Chair), a Tulip Chair by Eero Saarinen, and many other individual pieces from other Danish modern designers.

australian mid-century modern Russel Jack House in Sydney - dining areaaustralian mid-century modern Russel Jack House in Sydney - living area

Perhaps the room that is most easy on the eye is the central living area, which is brightened up by a colourful abstract painting nicely contrasting against a distinctly tasteful alternation between browns, deep reds and off-whites for the rest of the decor.

ALSO READ: Australian Modernism. Harry Seidler’s Thurlow House

In the centre of the room, holding it all this together, is a combination of cow skin rug, and on top of that an IN-50 table by Japanese American designer Isamu Noguchi (created by the designer for the Herman Miller furniture company). All of this faces a large stove, no doubt keeping the whole room cosy in the winter months.

 

 

.