2020 Houses Awards shortlist reveals new state of domestic bliss
A showcase of the best architect-designed homes in the country, this year's awards highlight an unusual but welcome change.
The Upside Down Akubra House designed by architect Alexander Symes sits lonely sentinel in outback NSW. Barton Taylor
When the annual Houses Awards shortlist was released last week, I spotted lots of fancy fortifications – screens, scrims and other architectural devices for shutting out the world. Cloister-like courtyards appear great places to wait out quarantine; a lonesome bungalow on an isolated landscape reads as a perfect retreat, far from the madding (and maybe contagious) crowd.
In Subiaco, Perth, this Vokes and Peters-designed home offers a private courtyard-style backyard, perfect for our quarantined times. Christopher Frederick Jones
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