Hot spots: Mending Wall, New South Wales
This modernist home gives visitors an opportunity for total retreat, writes Stephen Lacey
Completed in 2008, Mending Wall is one of the most stunning modernist homes in Australia. The almost brutal concrete block construction creates the illusion of a wall in the landscape and was inspired by Robert Frost's poem of the same name. The three-bedroom house sits high on a plateau on Mount Irvine, looking east over the Blue Mountains National Park and the Cumberland Plain of the Sydney basin.
It's funny you should say that. Part-time Spiderman Tobey Maguire recently stayed at the house while filming The Great Gatsby in the nearby village of Mount Wilson. Apparently, his wife found it a little isolated and stayed in Katoomba, instead.
Well yes, but that's the whole point. The owners wanted a holiday home that would function as a retreat for quiet contemplation. And there is definitely something monastic about its seclusion. Being 45 minutes' drive to the nearest town, visitors are advised to stock up on food and fuel before arriving. We would also suggest visiting a liquor shop en route, unless you want to take the monastic thing to a whole new level.
Not exactly. More like something from the pages of Architectural Digest. Consisting of two wings (a living-dining-kitchen wing and a bedroom wing with the master bedroom upstairs and guests' quarters beneath it), the highlight is undoubtedly the double-height living area with hearth, floor-to-ceiling glass, and a veritable library on walkways at either side. Underfloor heating keeps everything toasty on even the coldest days and the bank of solar panels on the hill outside will put your enviro-angst to rest.
Hmm, no. The main bedroom boasts a white leather Egg Chair, designed by Arne Jacobsen for the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. One of the downstairs bedrooms is home to another Jacobsen creation, a Swan Chair. Then there's the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in the television room, Jacobsen Series 7 dining chairs and a stunning vintage black-leather Corona Chair by Poul Volther. So we're talking a small fortune spent on furniture. No expense has been spared when it comes to the lighting, either.
Well, it's hard to ignore the major collection of art on the walls. Significant indigenous artists are represented, including ochre works by Freddy Tims and a huge work by Minnie Pwerle over the hearth. Unfortunately, none of it would fit in our suitcase, despite our best efforts.