A Decade of Accolades

The WOLF house ten year on…is it still as good?

2022 is significant for our practice because it marks 10 years of WOLF dream homes. While the practice was already well established long before it was our award-winning WOLF house in 2012 that put us on the map. This home is as innovative now as it was then and embodies so much of the practices core design philosophies. Having the right bones with a flexible plan allowed this home to remain highly functional and adaptable. From having a home office, growing family, and COVID, this house continued to thrive, and surprise. Professional photographer Sophie Tamaras was recently invited to capture through her unique eye for detail, what a ten-year-old WOLF house looked like. We asked her to consider the aging of the materials and finishes, since aging gracefully is something the practice prides itself in achieving. Amazingly the WOLF house still looks as mint and fresh as it’s first day, but with the added bonus of looking more beautiful.

Light filled spaces continue to inspire and encourage every space to be one for either work or play. Understanding the site and the importance of intelligent orientation has remained a key first step to every Wolf project. While a variety of materials are often combined to create homes with personality and character, the WOLF colour pallet is always sensible, classy and well-grounded with natural or earthy tones. Throughout the home are subtle details that give insight into thoughtful balance between practicality and beauty. It is a way of thinking that led to the development of WOLF Architects intelligent design management system.

Perhaps the most striking differences after ten years is with the maturity of garden spaces. The WOLF house was amongst the first group of homes designed by the practice with landscaping and interior design considerations from the onset. There is classic simplicity in the architecture with a harmonious synergy between the exterior, interior and site context. When the weather is right the windows and doors seemingly disappear to allow the homes interior and natural landscapes to blend as one. Green tree canopies and blue skies penetrate into the deepest corners of this home. Waking up in the WOLF house often feels like living in a forest reserve.

Sophie’s photos precisely capture the beauty and charm of a lived-in contemporary WOLF home. This is a home that has undergone very little maintenance over the years. The WOLF house has a variety of 15 different timbers, and most have never been refinished or repaired. The combination of an efficient and flexible plan with durable and intelligent materials has resulted in what all WOLF houses aim to achieve- timelessness.

The WOLF house has been featured extensively online and in books, magazines, and TV shows both locally and abroad. Even today it continues to draw interest for all it’s timeless design statements and innovations that are still hard to emulate without knowing the how and why. Wolf Architects and its IDM process continues to bring dream homes to life, with a well-balanced crop of projects both nationally and internationally. Contact us now if you have a dream home in mind.