DOMAIN MAGAZINE – “Mid-century style made new again“

Featuring Las Palmas and Currawong House

Words by Pauline Morrissey

(Article excerpt) … Further north in Byron Bay, Ed Davis of Davis Architects has noticed the same shift. His team’s Las Palmas and Currawong House projects interpret mid-century sensibilities through a subtropical lens, in which light, breeze and texture take centre stage. “The visual imagery of those houses and the way they enhanced daily life were well ahead of their time,” Davis says. “The lessons that [mid-century] architects such as Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler taught are timeless and just as relevant now.”

Davis explains that the essence of mid-century design lies in its seamless integration with nature. The traditional barriers between indoors and out were dissolved and reimagined, with spaces conceived as open planes rather than enclosed boxes. It’s an approach that feels suited to the Australian lifestyle. “With both homes it was important to design the external spaces and how they connected back into the house,” Davis says. “We think of courtyards, entryways and decks as rooms of the house – spaces that extend living beyond the walls.”

That same openness defines the broader movement. After years of sleek minimalism, there’s a collective shift back toward tactility, tone and texture – a craving for homes that feel lived-in rather than showroom-ready.

“In a time when more and more things are processed, it’s nice to create homes that tell stories about nature in one way or another,” Davis says. “Timber, concrete, metal and stone are our go-to materials.”

Read the full Domain Magazine article here.

Discover more about Las Palmas here.

Discover more about Currawong House here.