Building a Mid-Century Modern home on an unconventional block

While it rose to prominence in the 1970s, Mid-Century Modern architecture is experiencing something of a resurgence, as nostalgic styles are adapted to our modern lifestyle. Take a closer look and you’ll find a blend of modern minimalism with the charm of a bygone era.

The Mid-Century house is defined by its clean geometric lines, organic shapes and bright accent colours. You’ll also find that Mid-Century Modern interior design abides by the philosophy of ‘form follows function’. Floor-to-ceiling windows are typical features, and there’s a strong connection between indoors and outdoors. The result is a timeless yet wholly functional home design.

Here’s how design-and-build specialists Happy Haus turned what was once an untouched green space into a Mid-Century Modern beach house – despite being located in Brisbane’s suburbia – with Axon™ Cladding central to the build.

Using tried-and-tested products to inspire the Mid-Century Modern design

Responsible for the architecture, interior design and construction of this Mid-Century design, Managing Director, Lachlan Grant, and his Happy Haus team are very familiar with James Hardie's range of fibre cement exterior products, having used them extensively on the vast majority of their projects. So it made sense to incorporate them into this Mid-Century Modern style.

“We are very confident in Hardie™ cladding products to deliver both aesthetically and economically,” he says. “Our teams are also familiar with the Hardie™ products and accessories and have experience and confidence to install them, helping to deliver quality construction.”

The whole home was clad in Hardie™ exterior solutions, and Grant says this was a key element to achieving the modern Mid-Century style. “Axon™ Cladding 400mm was used on the external walls and ceilings, with Hardie™ Tex Base Sheet also used on the external walls to provide a change in texture and look,” he adds.

Having used Axon™ Cladding extensively in the past, Grant and his team knew it would be able to deliver that VJ-panel look without the hassles of timber. Made from Hardie™ fibre cement, Axon™ Cladding is engineered to stand up to harsh coastal conditions. It’s resistant to rot and damage from moisture, and will resist warping and swelling.

Despite their experience with Axon™ Cladding, Grant says this was the first time they used the 400mm profile. This was to differentiate the home from the popular ‘Queenslander’ design, where the Axon™ Cladding 133mm profile works perfectly. In doing so, the wider groove Axon™ Cladding allowed for a panelled effect that was more in line with Mid-Century architecture.

“The use of Axon™ Cladding 400mm allowed the home to have a slight twist on the Mid-Century Modern style where there are typically variations and changes in cladding materials,” Grant says. “The wider groove created clean vertical lines, drawing the eye upwards towards the interesting roof lines and Axon™-cladded ceilings.”

While Grant’s team knows from experience that Axon™ Cladding is highly efficient to install, he says the complexity of the ceiling design made installation slightly more challenging than on previous projects. “The difficulty was ensuring the joins married up so that the groove ran continuously,” he says.

Thankfully, a variety of accessories came in handy during the build. Problem-solving solutions like Hardie™ 75mm Colorbond® Corner Flash 3000mm helped to eliminate any potential complications. It also meant the team could move on to other tasks faster, such as painting Dulux® Lexicon® Half on the internal Axon™ Cladding ceilings, and Dulux® Colorbond® Monument® on the external Axon™ Cladding walls. Indeed, one of the biggest draw cards is that you can install the cladding and paint it on the same day.

Crafting the Mid-Century Modern House Design

Queensland design-and-build team, Happy Haus, are masters of making homeowners’ dreams come true – and they are invested from the very first consultation through to handing over the keys. Responsible for the end-to-end design and build for this Mid-Century design, Grant says everything required a deft touch.

“The land was never built on – it had been green space for the neighbourhood kids for more than three generations,” he says. “The block itself also had a significant slope and a small frontage, which created an irregular diamond shape. This resulted in a considered approach that saw two buildings form the layout of the home.”

Most intriguing, the site had historical significance to the client, as the land had been in the family for more than half a century – fitting, given their Mid-Century Modern architecture plans.

The brief called for a family home that would grow with the clients as they started a family, Grant says.

“The clients’ love of the Palm Springs modernist movement was a key part of the brief. The reference offered several inspiration points for the spatial layout, architectural features, detailing and interior styling, with Palm Springs and Brisbane sharing some critical characteristics.”

While this initial brief didn’t change, the way the Happy Haus design team responded to it did change as they uncovered all the opportunities and restrictions of the site. The solution? A Mid-Century house design that would incorporate coastal themes while staying true to the original intent of the style.

“Mid-Century Modern architecture is uncomplicated,” Grant says. “It allows good functional design to be the star, focusing on valuable connections to the outdoors, resort-like living and large amounts of glazing.”

Confidence shines through in the final design

Most of Happy Haus’s projects are clad in Hardie™ exterior cladding products, so the team’s experience with installing them is extensive.

“We have total confidence in their performance, ease of installation and economy with a project’s budget,” Grant says. “Our teams are well-versed in the installation and performance of the products, and if we ever have any issues we can leverage the expertise of James Hardie’s technical team.”

Having such confidence in the products is evident in the final build, with the homeowners able to enjoy a Mid-Century Modern home that is as functional as it is eye-catching.

“My favourite part of the house has been understanding just how much joy the clients have received from the project,” Grant says. “Given the legacy attached to the land, we needed to meet the client’s brief and expectations, and I know they will continue to be surprised and enjoy living in the home.”