Three designs that have disappeared from Australian homes

Crank the temperature to 30 degrees, pop out a Sunnyboy icy pole and let’s go down Aussie summer memory lane.

Remember the kidney-shaped pool? When growing up, any kid at school with one in the backyard at home was considered cool and popular.

However, kidney pools, once the height of chic, are now a relic of retro Australia. Times and tastes change, and spotting one in a listing is the surest giveaway of a property’s age.

Here are three once-loved designs in Aussie homes that buyers will rarely see anymore in recent builds.

The kidney-shaped pool

This style of pool was common in Aussie backyards but its origins have high-end design credentials.

The kidney-shaped pool can be traced to Finnish modernist architect Alvar Aalto. The first kidney pool emerged in the late 1930s, constructed in the garden of Villa Mairea, in Noormarkku, Finland, and became widespread globally in the 1950s.

The shape, which was loved for its free form and soft flow, tucking in at the centre and curving outwards at the ends to provide space for swim-up steps and easy access, has not been entirely wiped out, but innovation has made it far less trendy.

Many Aussie pool businesses still offer the kidney style, although cutting-edge renovators tend to gravitate towards infinity, plunge and lagoon designs for a more contemporary look.

The dining room

Vale the Sunday family roast. The end of this tradition sparked the death of the Aussie dining room.

Floorplans have flexed as life has modernised. The casualisation of fashion has impacted the manner in which families mingle and connect – dressing up and sitting around a dining table for mum’s lamb chops with mint jelly isn’t a weekly calendar event the way it used to be.

Open-plan living has been the design of choice for many years but families scrunched into homes over COVID lockdowns will say it has its drawbacks.

The dining room started disappearing in the last 20 years and now, few architects and home builders would report getting requests for one from clients.

Vertical blinds

The long, thin strips of fabric, with linking chains, hit peak popularity about forty years ago.

They are so durable, some Aussie homes will still have original sets – probably in a light, pinky salmon hue.

Cheap and practical, the American invention shaded almost every Aussie window from the 1980s onwards, and were much-loved for the many colour options which could suit every room and taste.

Despite falling out of favour, due to the rise of chic plantation shutters and high-tech block-out blinds, they offer excellent light control and deserve their status as a one-time staple of Aussie homes.

Not a kidney swimming pool to be seen – three homes on the market with marvelously modern backyard pools

14 Viva Street, Glen Iris, VIC
Auction: Saturday 26 November, 12pm

Contact Agent

14 Viva Street, Glen Iris VIC 3146

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2

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43 Kingsley Street, Byron Bay, NSW
Private sale

$5,900,000

43 Kingsley Street, Byron Bay NSW 2481

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3

2

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30 Weyba Park Drive, Noosa Heads, QLD
Auction: Saturday November 12, 2pm

SOLD - $1,640,000

30 Weyba Park Drive, Noosa Heads QLD 4567

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3

2

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