Iona House in all its glorious Kodak Instamatic colour. There’s the old bank/playhouse on the left.
Looks like we had visitors that day.
| Iona House, c1960s |
The architect of the Iona House, John Davidson said “Your parents were looking for a contemporary statement, not an imitation heritage, or pseudo Victorian!”
They certainly got the contemporary statement.
I’ve always been curious about the red and blue of the house. Tones of red and blue. Checked with my mother Hayden and she thinks the original colours of the house were influenced by the colour of the Melbourne Grammar Boat House built in 1953 by architects Mockridge Stahle & Mitchell.
And then John Davidson lets me know that John Mockridge was one of his tutors at university.
All makes sense now.
| Mockridge Stahle & Mitchell, Melbourne Grammar Boat House, 1953 |
Spots of red and blue bouncing around here. I like the way Benny the dog matches Amanda’s furry collar.
| Iona House, Amanda, Julia, Joanne, Lisa Ritson, c1963 |
That’s me in white.
Julia Ritson
That last photo is priceless, even without the fur collar on the sweater (although I love that too). I’ve enjoyed seeing this house through your adult eyes. It appears to have had quite an impact on you, both in the design sense as well as memory. My grandfather ran a furniture store, and we always had contemporary pieces, mixed with traditional. I found some of his “sample room” slides once–gave them to my nephew (who runs a mid-century furniture business). After seeing your Kodak pictures, I wish I’d kept them!