By At Home Principal Designer, Hugh
Jamieson
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| The Barcelona Pavilion by Mies Van der Rohe, with Georg Kolbe's sculpture 'Alba' |
I was
looking for inspiration for a small area of garden on a project in the genteel
seaside town of Sheringham in north Norfolk. We had transformed a modest
bungalow into a smart, contemporary dwelling – but the garden remained untouched.
I'd recently visited The Barcelona Pavilion, designed by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, and fell
in love with its serene simplicity, and especially the way the inside space
flowed seamlessly into the outside. With the
Sheringham project in mind, I could imagine large glass doors folding back onto
a similarly serene but useful outdoor living area. Just add a rill of gently flowing water and fabulous night time lighting to create a gorgeous ambience.
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| Serene and sunny: The finished garden area on the Sheringham project. The rill provides the gentle movement of water with stunning night time lighting. |
Mies Van de
Rohe’s German Pavilion was built for the 1929 International Exposition as ‘a zone of tranquility’ for the weary visitor; the
architecture itself was the exhibit. After the exposition the German government
couldn’t sell it so it was torn down, not even a year after completion, the
materials sold to cover costs.
This travesty was realised in the 1960s; luckily there were many original photos and the pavilion was faithfully recreated, using the same extravagant materials such as
marble and travertine and Mies Van der Rohe's ideal of modernity expressed through rigorous geometry,
precision and clarity, was brought into being once more. The curves of Georg Kolbe’s sculpture ‘Alba’ was the only contrast to the geometric purity of the building.
This was
exactly the feel I wanted for the Sheringham project – a mix of modern
and ancient materials used sparingly to create a place of serenity, blurring
inside and out.
We created a walled
area, providing a sheltered, sunny nook in winter, while in summer the doors could slide
open to create a huge inside/outside dining area – perfect for parties and warm
evenings. The neutral colours reflect year round light into the building and respect the home's coastal setting.
I have
learned much from Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Like many of his post World War I
contemporaries, he strove for simplicity and order, coining the phrases "less
is more" and "God is in the details,” both of which apply to this
minimalist 1929 structure – and many At Home Interiors projects too.
