manganese terracotta tile, while the fittings
and furnishings have discreet practicality,
durability and comfort. If there is luxury,
it is understated, with a distinct Adelaide
lineage of Langdon Badger quality furniture
and Milton Moon ceramics. In this
stylistically forgiving place, Thonet chairs,
a collection of antique jelly moulds and
the occasional Victorian cabinet sit happily
alongside smoked glass coffee tables and
Scandinavian birch. Dickson and Platten
always resisted overt formal gestures in its
design solutions, preferring what Robert
described as “unselfconscious architecture.”
And this house is a testament to that;
it has a refined, understated style. There is
something Japanese-like in the pared-back,
precisely proportioned frame and fitout of
the house: there is not a careless junction to
be seen. It’s an aesthetic that wasn’t always
understood when it was new. Grahampocketsof(formerly)peripheralland
colonizedbyprogressiveyoungthings,
preparedtoembraceanewmodeofliving
and architectural identity. Dickson and
Platten built nine Morialta houses, creating
whatBarbaradescribesas“quiteasocial
cluster...likeavillage.Wekneweveryone
andluckilytherewerealotofpeoplewho
wanted it kept the way it was. We were
aprettyactivebunch,formingastrong
residents’association,standingforlocal
councilandlobbyingthepowerutilityto
replaceAdelaide’sinfamousstobie
poleswithundergroundsupply.Wegot
aloantodothatbeforewecouldeven
afford curtains!”
When Barbara and Graham moved
intothebarelycompletedhousewitha
six-month-old baby, there was not enough
moneyforcarpetsorcupboardseither,but
these were gradually added over the nextfewyears;aswasadoublecarport that
provides not only an extended threshold
to the house, but also masonry storage
buttresses to the slim double timber
supports. A decade later an additional
bedroom and ensuite were added to the
lower terrace on the north, liberating one
of the upper bedrooms to become a second
lounge space and creating more distinct
parent and children realms, each with its
own“frontdoor.”Recentlythis wing has
been adapted so
that the clients’ son can operate a small
business from their home: it adds an
unobtrusive security and regular filial
company as they age.
The house itself, however, appears
ageless. It has seen minimal adaptation
and modest maintenance. Instead there
is a pleasing patina to the robust internal
surfaces of honeyed Australian oak and04 05