The Walsh Street House

The Walsh Street House epitomises daring and modernist 1950s architecture. While architect Robin Boyd experimented with a distinctive Australian design, this house also embraces a Japanese simplicity of style.

Robin Boyd (1919-1971) was a leader in Australian architecture as well as an author, critic, and public educator in the 1950s and 1960s. Boyd designed the house for his family in 1957 and it is his most well-known work. Tony Lee and Stephen Hare established the Robin Boyd Foundation in January 2005 to increase individual and community awareness, understanding and participation in design.

Boyd may have felt disappointed that his career did not embrace large-scale commissions but in many ways he played an even more significant role in the development of Australian architecture. He acted as the gatekeeper for aesthetic standards and played a crucial intermediary role, through his writing, between the profession and the public.

Karen McCartney, 50/60/70 Iconic Australian Houses: three decades of domestic architecture

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Garden study, Harrington Park
Documenting NSW Homes

Recorded for the future: documenting NSW homes

The Caroline Simpson Library has photographically recorded homes since 1989

Rose Seidler House, 1950: View from north-west

Mid-century modern

Rose Seidler House, built by Harry Seidler between 1948 and 1950 is regarded as an iconic example of Modernist domestic architecture in Australia

Phyllis Murphy in her East Malvern apartment, Melbourne, c1950
Wallpaper

Beyond the wallpaper: the life and work of Phyllis and John Murphy

A significant donation of more than 3,000 wallpaper samples to the Caroline Simpson Library reflects just one facet of the remarkable careers of Phyllis and John Murphy, partners in life, architecture and heritage conservation

Exterior of the engine room at The Mint at the completion of the adaptive reuse project, the wall stabilised and now protected by the new structure

The Mint project: Sydney’s adaptive reuse triumph

Sydney’s urban landscape is a testament to both the city’s rich history and examples of forward-thinking vision. Among the most compelling examples of this fusion of past and future is the revitalisation of the Mint complex