Architecture and design: award-winning architect Rob Mills on embracing curves

Architects are borrowing from cutting edge sports cars, smart phones and TVs to create the latest in highly sought after ultra-modern design.

Boxy, monolithic architecture may be the design ethos that is best described as muscular and modern, but straight lines don’t compare to the romanticism and flair of curves.

Whether they derive their inspiration from nature or even the feminine form, curves have become the latest cyclical trend in architecture.

With modern day sports cars, phones and TVs embracing curves, it’s hardly surprising we’re falling in love with curved architecture all over again.

Inside Rob Mills’ Victorian home.

Of course, we don’t have to look further than Sydney’s Opera House to appreciate iconic curvature design, or the P & O architectural style, which was inspired by the cruise liners of the 1930s featuring curved walls, glass bricks and porthole-shaped windows.

Internationally, the trend gained traction in the 1950s with the unveiling of two curved landmarks — the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Haus de Kulturen de Welt in Berlin.

Architects Eric von Schramek and T. Andrzejaczek examining a model of the Sydney Opera House. Picture: Hugh Ross

Closer to home, renowned architect, Rob Mills has upped the ante on curves, and is now regarded as one of the foremost voices on this topic. His own property in beachside Lorne, Victoria is testament to the fact, with curved concrete detailing on the facade which is then mirrored in a smaller context on a statement staircase.

Porsche’s icnic curvy design features. Picture: Daniel Kalisz

“The spiral staircase has natural curves, so you can make it special … a piece of art in the middle of the home. I spent my career searching for new pathways, so I was prepared to take a risk to create something rather special in my home.”

And that he has.

Tesla and its curves have redefined modern car design. Picture: AFP

“Spiral staircases have been done for centuries, but I think what has changed is how we’ve been influenced by contemporary furniture — a good piece of furniture can be placed in the middle of the room, be it a couch, a table, anything, and everything works around it,” says Rob.

Samsung 55 inch curved TV from Harvey Norman

CREATING A COCOONING ENVIRONMENT

The property’s bedrooms are also encased in a circular frame away from the communal living space, which is rectangular with large windows looking out to the beach.

“I wanted to feel cocooned by the walls of the bedroom, so I created circular rooms. The eye just flows across the room because there are no corners,” says Rob.

“It was a completely new living experience and the bedroom really does cocoon me from the outside world, from the waves and the sun and all the elements.”

His home was completed in 2009 and from there Rob has gone on to design many more award-winning properties that celebrate the smooth flow of curves.

Mills and his spiral staircase.

Inspiration.

“Like the Art Deco buildings, when all the corners of the walls are curved, that very simple touch, means the interior is at one with the exterior. It’s a complete experience. It’s a surreal experience, travelling around the corner into the next space without stopping sharply.

“Much like a photographic studio backdrop where the wall meets the floor, you can’t measure depth, there’s no point of reference. I use that idea in design to create an environment that is peaceful to live within.

Kitchen curves.

“We do know that grids are not conducive to a calm way of life. As human beings we want something more sculptural to envelop us.”

While curves are far more difficult to work with than straight lines, Rob says only unique buildings will be remembered as great.

Curves are back.

“My father was of the view that the only thing we pass on are our genes,” he says.

“I believe we can do that, as well as making a contribution to society, and so in architecture, that is coming up with new forms.”

In 2010, neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins University did a study of art called Beauty and the Brain, focusing on which shapes are most pleasing to the human eye.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of modern and contemporary art in New York, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Picture: Istock

Clad in reinforced concrete and polyester, the 619,000-square-foot Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, Azerbaijan, is known for its swooping façade. Architect: Zaha Hadid

While solid and sharp objects signalled fear, the exact opposite was true of curved shapes, which stirred up comforting and happy emotions. Homewares designers have also taken heed, presenting a range of curved designs to create a harmonious living space.

Examples of Art Deco buildings in Bondi.

THE HOME PROJECT WITH ARCHITECT ROB MILLS

The owner: Rob Mills, award-winning architect specialising in residential architecture and interior design.

The plan: Build a house on a steep site overlooking the beach.

Progress report: Using cylindrical concrete form on the facade to wrap around the bedrooms, this space functions as a separate pavilion to the linear living areas.

Originally published as Architecture and design: award-winning architect Rob Mills on embracing curves