Designer Profile: Vokes and Peters on Connecting With Nature
It's important to consider the natural surroundings of a home, say principals of architecture studio Vokes and Peters
Based in Brisbane, Stuart Vokes and Aaron Peters of Vokes and Peters share their insights and experiences of designing through narrative.
What are the three most important things to consider when designing a home?
Every project is different. Those three things will shift from project to project. For us, the most consistent imperatives tend to be:
Every project is different. Those three things will shift from project to project. For us, the most consistent imperatives tend to be:
- Connecting to the garden,
- Positioning the kitchen (because the life of the house tends to follow the kitchen), and
- Making appropriate responses to the setting of the building.
How should a client form a brief for their home?
We take a ‘narrative’ brief from our clients. We use this to complement a traditional ‘schedule of rooms’ type brief. We want to discover who our clients are, what they value and why.
This becomes incredibly important in residential work, because understanding the personality of your client can have a huge impact on the kind of spaces you envisage. For example – a living room can be anything from a place to hide away with a comfy sofa, to a raucous and robust room for entertaining crowds of visitors.
We take a ‘narrative’ brief from our clients. We use this to complement a traditional ‘schedule of rooms’ type brief. We want to discover who our clients are, what they value and why.
This becomes incredibly important in residential work, because understanding the personality of your client can have a huge impact on the kind of spaces you envisage. For example – a living room can be anything from a place to hide away with a comfy sofa, to a raucous and robust room for entertaining crowds of visitors.
What’s the first thing you do when you need to prune the budget for a project?
We try to have a strong handle on what really matters to the project from the outset. Our briefing process helps a lot with this. If we find that we need to pull back on the scope, it’s usually possible to identify what is essential to the building and what is superfluous without a great deal of soul searching.
Byron Bay House and Studio project
We try to have a strong handle on what really matters to the project from the outset. Our briefing process helps a lot with this. If we find that we need to pull back on the scope, it’s usually possible to identify what is essential to the building and what is superfluous without a great deal of soul searching.
Byron Bay House and Studio project
What’s the one thing you always include in a project?
We always try to make a connection with nature. For us, a building and its setting are inseparable. We might establish a direct physical connection or frame a borrowed view by carefully placing an opening.
We always try to make a connection with nature. For us, a building and its setting are inseparable. We might establish a direct physical connection or frame a borrowed view by carefully placing an opening.
Who is an established local architect/designer you admire?
There are a number of Australian architects and designers that we have learnt from. Locally, we are indebted to the work of Donovan Hill, John Railton and Robin Gibson.
Wilston garden room project
There are a number of Australian architects and designers that we have learnt from. Locally, we are indebted to the work of Donovan Hill, John Railton and Robin Gibson.
Wilston garden room project
Who is an emerging architect/designer to watch?
Mast Furniture are Queensland-based furniture makers. We’ve enjoyed watching their work evolve and have enjoyed collaborating with them in recent years.
Mast Furniture are Queensland-based furniture makers. We’ve enjoyed watching their work evolve and have enjoyed collaborating with them in recent years.
Do you prefer a big or small home, and why?
We’re comfortable designing both. We’re always focused on trying to make things an appropriate scale for the site and the brief. Making sure we don’t squander open space is important in helping us maintain access to nature by preserving the amenity of the private garden.
Hawthorne project
We’re comfortable designing both. We’re always focused on trying to make things an appropriate scale for the site and the brief. Making sure we don’t squander open space is important in helping us maintain access to nature by preserving the amenity of the private garden.
Hawthorne project
Which is best, high-tech or low-tech, and why?
Again, we’re interested in appropriateness. Sometimes a high-tech solution is required. On other occasions it’s unnecessary.
Again, we’re interested in appropriateness. Sometimes a high-tech solution is required. On other occasions it’s unnecessary.
What’s your favourite room in the home?
The garden.
New Farm project
The garden.
New Farm project
What do you do?
We’re architects. But what we do gets a little blurry around the edges; we’ve been involved in furniture design, exhibitions, and a little event-organising though our talk series Garden Variety, but mostly, we’re designing boutique residential, retail and commercial buildings.