Marsala House
Heritage listing building in Dianella, Western Australia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marsala House is a residential home in Dianella, in suburban Perth, Western Australia, designed by architect Iwan Iwanoff. It is the youngest heritage-listed residence in Western Australia.[2]
| Marsala House | |
|---|---|
Marsala House in 2017 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | House |
| Architectural style | Brutalist |
| Location | 38 Sycamore Rise, Dianella, Western Australia |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 31.8804°S 115.8646°E |
| Opening | 1976 |
| Grounds | 1,483 square metres (15,960 sq ft)[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Iwan Iwanoff |
| Designated | 15 December 1999 |
| Reference no. | 09917 |
The brutalist concrete block home is considered "one of Perth's most iconic residences",[3] and colloquially referred to as the "Dianella Disco House" due to its checkerboard-patterned illuminated dance floor in a specialised disco room.[4]
Architecture
Marsala House is a rare example of expressionist architecture in Western Australia, designed in an interpretive brutalist style by architect Iwan Iwanoff.[5]
Marsala House demonstrates the new mass-produced materials commonly used during the 1960s and 1970s, such as concrete blocks, melamine laminates, and polystyrene.[5]
The house went through several iterations in the design phase. The exterior uses predominantly rectilinear, block-based geometries, while the interior references curvilinear forms.[6] The house features a dedicated "disco room" with a light-up floor and Murano glass chandelier, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, two bars, two sunken living rooms, and a swimming pool.[4][7][1]
Recognition
The Heritage Council of Western Australia added Marsala House to the permanent Register of Heritage Places (#9917) in December 2009.[8] The listing stated that the building is significant because it is "an intact and aesthetically exceptional example of a creatively designed residence constructed of concrete blockwork", "one of the finest residences designed by highly-regarded Western Australian architect, Iwan Iwanoff", and "highly valued...as evidenced through references to the house in numerous published works".[8]
The home was featured on Better Homes and Gardens.[3]
Restoration work on Marsala House, conducted by Donaldson and Warn Architects, received the 2011 WA Heritage award for "outstanding conservation of a heritage project".[9]
Ownership
Marsala House is named after Tina and Sergio Marsala, who commissioned Iwan Iwanoff to design their home in the 1970s.[4] Different designs were proposed by Iwanoff between 1973 and 1975, with the design finalised in 1976.[9] The Marsalas travelled extensively, and requested the addition of a disco room after visiting Las Vegas in the late 1970s.[9]
Christopher David Beer and Mark Etherton bought the home in 2005, and undertook conservation work.[8][9] In 2012, the home was purchased by Perth street artist Stormie Mills and his wife Melissa Lekias for AU$2.2 million.[3]
Marsala House was listed for sale in May 2021 with a pricing guide of AU$3+ million.[4] Its online real estate listing was viewed over 10,000 times in the first four days.[10] The house was relisted in November 2021, with a "high 2 millions" asking price and soon after sold for AU$2.8 million.[11][12]
References
Further reading
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