Cape Schanck house blends architectural minimalism and bespoke lighting
Cape Schanck house by Studio Goss for lighting designer and founder of Articolo Studios Nicci Kavals is a finely tuned minimalist home with an extraordinary bespoke lighting range
Cape Schanck house is a unique feat – not just a sleek piece of minimalist architecture set among the pristine nature of the Australian countryside, this is also a finely tuned lighting masterpiece, featuring a highly bespoke plan for illumination, crafted by its architect, Studio Goss, and owner, lighting designer and founder of Articolo Studios Nicci Kavals.
Cape Schanck house: illuminated minimalism
‘Conceptually, we approached Cape Schanck House as a vessel to capture views and accept and manipulate daylight,’ said David Goss, director at Studio Goss. ‘The resulting design is expressed through a series of blank, abstract forms, animated by the play of light.’
Meanwhile, the lighting elements, the 12:40 lighting range, which is Articolo’s newest collection, was inspired directly by the home, its location and approach. Kavals explained the series design, offering the example of one of its signature pieces: ‘The 12:40 wall sconce is not only architectural in form but it is coupled with tuneable white technology, a feature that works to adjust the colour temperature of white light to match the sun’s changing light throughout the day. This has multiple wellness benefits on our health including restoring our circadian rhythm.’
Clean, low, geometric forms divided into two pavilions form the house. A generous kitchen, the open plan dining and living room, and the two open-air terraces form the social heart of the home, which also contains three guest rooms alongside its owner's primary bedroom.
A luxurious palette of Blackbutt timber joinery, terrazzo flooring, brick, Moroccan Zellige tiles and Galassia marble shape refined spaces throughout – matching both the sophisticated overall design as well as the high design standards reflected in the lighting fixtures.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Does Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein summon the gothic flamboyance of Mary Shelley’s novel?The visionary filmmaker was inspired by the famous 1931 adaptation of the book, but his long-gestating version is closer to its author’s astonishingly vivid tone
-
Artist Shaqúelle Whyte is a master of storytelling at Pippy Houldsworth GalleryIn his London exhibition ‘Winter Remembers April’, rising artist Whyte offers a glimpse into his interior world
-
Little gift ideas from the Wallpaper* editorsThese micro icons, from design and beauty pieces to tech and fashion, are ideal for filling stockings this festive season
-
Neometro is the Australian developer creating homes its founders ‘would be happy living in’The company has spent 40 years challenging industry norms, building design-focused apartment buildings and townhouses; a new book shares its stories and lessons learned
-
The Melbourne studio rewilding cities through digital-driven landscape design‘There's a lack of control that we welcome as designers,’ say Melbourne-based landscape architects Emergent Studios
-
A Republic Tower apartment refresh breathes new life to a Melbourne classicLocal studio Multiplicity's refresh signals a new turn for an iconic Melbourne landmark
-
A Japanese maple adds quaint charm to a crisp, white house in SydneyBellevue Hill, a white house by Mathieson Architects, is a calm retreat layered with minimalism and sophistication
-
A redesigned warehouse complex taps into nostalgia in QueenslandA warehouse in Queensland has been transformed from neglected industrial sheds to a vibrant community hub by architect Jared Webb, drawing on the typology's nostalgic feel
-
Australian bathhouse ‘About Time’ bridges softness and brutalism‘About Time’, an Australian bathhouse designed by Goss Studio, balances brutalist architecture and the softness of natural patina in a Japanese-inspired wellness hub
-
The humble glass block shines brightly again in this Melbourne apartment buildingThanks to its striking glass block panels, Splinter Society’s Newburgh Light House in Melbourne turns into a beacon of light at night
-
A contemporary retreat hiding in plain sight in SydneyThis contemporary retreat is set behind an unassuming neo-Georgian façade in the heart of Sydney’s Woollahra Village; a serene home designed by Australian practice Tobias Partners