The Australian Bungalow 1910-1940
Beginning in the late twentieth century and continuing well into the interwar and early post-war period, the humble Bungalow dominated the Australian urban landscape. Complex roof forms of the Federation Period were stripped back to their bare essentials and compartmentalised floor plans gradually loosened to create more open, informal layouts.
The term Bungalow stems from the Hindi bangla, meaning small Bengali style house, resembling an upturned boat made from straw or bamboo. In the 19th century the English adaptation of this housing type came to be known as a Colonial Bungalow, consisting of a simple pyramid hipped roof dwelling with a verandah. Initially conceived as a holiday seaside or mountain getaway for the wealthy and a popular housing choice for those with modest incomes, the Bungalow took off in Australia’s inner and middle-ring suburbs, offering a modern, aspirational, affordable and practical alternative to traditional Victorian housing.
Edwardian Bungalow 1900-1915
The term Edwardian relates to the English style of homes which were built during the reign of Edward VII (1901-1910) or in the style of this period. There are many overlaps between Edwardian and Federation, in fact the two terms are often used interchangeably. The key difference that set Federation residential architecture apart is its focus on Australian motifs and its distinctive, complex roofscape.
The Edwardian Bungalow formed a transitional point between the extravagant Federation home and the humble Californian Bungalow. It had a simple profile consisting of either a hipped or dutch gable roof with a prominent front facing gable clad in terracotta tile or corrugated iron. Windows to the front gable end were either protected by a window hood or arranged into a rectangular bay. Stained glass fanlight and sidelights to the front door filtered light into the formerly dark and narrow hallways that characterised Victorian homes. The verandah was often bullnose, supported by simple timber posts, with timber fretwork. External walls were sometimes clad in brick, but more commonly clad in notched or block face weatherboards to simulate stonework. Ornamentation came in the form of decorative timber brackets, half timbering to the gable ends and leadlight detailing to the front bay window. These homes were commonly set behind simple timber picket fences and had meandering paths, with lawns and native plants growing in popularity.
With the aim of bringing more light into internal spaces, ceilings were high and decorated with ornate cornices and architraves. Fireplaces formed a focal point of the house and were decorated with tile, timber or marble. Colour took on a much more subdued palette, consisting of pastels, creams and whites. As servants and cooks became scarce in the early 20th century, the kitchen was no longer banished to the rear of the house, but integrated into the main house.
Californian Bungalow 1910-1940
The most prolific variant of the Bungalow is the Californian Bungalow. Relaxed and rugged, the Californian Bungalow embodied the glossy images of suburbs like Los Angeles which spread across Australia through film, radio, magazines and home builder guides.
With its origins in the Arts and Crafts movement, the Californian Bungalow would forsake ornamentation for a more honest expression of structure. The pitch of the roof was lowered and wide overhanging exposed rafters shot out far beyond the gutter line. As the pitch of the roof dropped, so did the chimneys with the increasingly common commodity of gas fireplaces. Roof forms were made up of either hips or singular gables with a projecting gabled front (sometimes with a gabled verandah forming the third front). The verandah jutted forward assertively, supported by heavy verandah piers which were sometimes tapered and rendered with roughcast.
Rich and earthy materials were used liberally. Riverstones, rubblestone work, roughcast and masonry were paired with timber weatherboards to create visual contrast. The typical Bungalow box window had double hung sashes, simple leadlight detailing and bracketed sills.
The so-called Prairie style pioneered by Frank Lloyed Wright strongly influenced housing in the inter-war period, promoting floor plans built around a central hearth and a strong emphasis on horizontality. Whilst the standard Californian Bungalow formed a more compact version of Frank Lloyd Wright’s radical ‘pinwheel’ plan, vernacular versions of this influential concept adopted similar strategies to bring light into internal spaces (through the means of bay windows or projecting bays for larger dwellings) and create more fluid transitions between living areas. The long, narrow hallway was widened, shortened and occasionally forsaken entirely, with the front entrance spilling directly into the central living area.
Whilst gas fires were commonly fitted in less important rooms, the chimney located in the living room remained an indispensable feature, occasionally recessed into a nook surrounded by inbuilt shelving. Japanese sensibility was evident in rich dark stained timber panelling lining the walls of the Californian Bungalow interior, contrasting with light wallpapers. Dark cosy nooks or ‘dens’ opened out into spacious, uplifting living areas. Staying true to the honest expression of form, beams were sometimes left exposed and living areas were detailed with built-in furniture and hand-made stained timber joinery and cabinetry. Colours schemes were dominated by earthy reds, chocolatey browns and green.
Key to the Californian Bungalow concept was its simplicity and affordability. Pattern-books sold the Californian Bungalow model to ordinary individuals like a do-it-yourself project. Whilst Californian Bungalows were often produced by speculative builders in Australia, influential Australian architects who designed in the Bungalow style included Alexander Stuart Jolly, Cedric Ballantyne and Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin. The Waller House in Ivanhoe, designed by Naper Waller in 1922 and owned by the National Trust of Victoria, is an exceptional example of an Arts and Crafts Bungalow one can visit.
Californian Bungalow gardens flourished with native trees and shrubs, flagged paths set behind masonry or chain-wire fences which were either kept low or transparent to put the house and garden on full display. Gates sometimes had an Arts and Crafts style pergola gateway framing the entrance. The Californian Bungalow spread throughout Melbourne’s inner to middle-ring suburbs, such as Camberwell, Kew, Bayside, St Kilda, Northcote, Preston, Thornbury, Coburg, Footscray, Yarraville, Travencore and Maribyrnong.
Spanish Mission and Jazz Moderne Bungalow 1920-1940
Australians in the inter-war period were not immune from the charm of the glamorous, exotic Spanish Mission style which emanated from states such as California, Louisiana, New Mexico and Florida.
The Mediterranean climate of these states and their unique histories tied to Spanish, French and American colonisation lent them a distinctive architectural legacy. The Spanish Mission style was adapted easily to the Australian Bungalow and took off in Melbourne suburbs like Kew, Hawthorn, Balwyn and Ivanhoe. Double and triple fronted bungalows were coated in white and pastel rose pink stucco, like icing on a cake, with contrasting corbelled clinker brick accents. Hints of the Streamline Moderne worked their way into the Spanish Mission with zig-zag motifs and occasionally a curved parapetted wall to the entry porch. Zig-zag motifs spilled into interiors, appearing in wallpapers, curtains, and furniture. Wrought ironwork and lanterns above the entry porch also adopted a Spanish flair. Low brick stuccoed fences were rendered with clinker brick detailing to match the style of the house and side fences and garages were incorporated into the main building.
The front porch was the most prominent exterior feature and went through a number of transformations throughout the inter-war period. The inter-war period saw the streamlining of the front porch into an integrated “front” to the main house. Spanish Ogee or round-headed arches often framed the porch supported by either rendered heavy piers of twisted Baroque columns, sometimes in groups of three to form a loggia.
Spanish Mission interiors adopted some of the exotic glamour of their American predecessors, featuring terracotta tiled floors, stucco textured walls, arched doorways and bold accent colours. These elements were often combined with Arts and Crafts stained timber panelling and exposed beams.
Old English Revival Bungalow 1920-1940
Another popular style that was added to the mix of inter-war eclecticism was the “Old English” style, also known locally as the “Stockbroker Tudor”.
This style is mostly concentrated within Melbourne’s inner south-eastern suburbs such as Toorak, Malvern, Burwood, Brighton and Hawthorn. Characteristics of this style of Bungalow, include its distinctive steep pitched roof, overhanging eaves, broad use of clinker brick, leadlight windows and corbelled detailing to the gabled ends and chimneys.
Fashionable Jacobean or Tudor style furniture would not appear out of place in the Arts and Crafts interior.
Post-war Bungalow 1945-1965
Raw and manufactured materials which had been scarce during the war, became available for housing construction by the mid-1950s. By this time, housing was produced on a large scale in Australian suburbs, often sold as War Service Homes to assist servicemen and their families to purchase affordable homes.
The influence of Streamline Moderne continued into the post-war period and the tiered “Waterfall” effect integrated into aluminium framed, curved corner windows (made possible through the significant increase in glass mass production). Double or triple brick veneer took over Australia’s residential suburban dwellings with narrow bands of manganese brick to emphasise horizontality. The rustic Californian Bungalow was streamlined, its wide overhanging rooflines and exposed timbering cropped back with austere boxed eaves. Parapets sometimes rose up to conceal hipped roofs behind, giving the appearance of a Functionalist flat roof. The verandah was reduced to a small flat cantilevered canopy above a concrete or terrazzo tiled porch, pushing outdoor living to the rear of the house. The post-war home transitioned gradually into an ‘L’ shape plan, with the number of ‘fronts’ increasing into the mid-century.
Inside the post-war home, texture was celebrated. Brick was bagged with rough cement render, timber panelling or was simply left exposed. The kitchen and dining room was separated by a colourful breakfast bar. Furniture was integrated and fashionably built in.
Regional Differences
Key differences that distinguish the Australian Bungalow in various states depend greatly on the availability of materials. Red brick was ubiquitous in late 18th and early 20th century homes in Victoria, particularly Melbourne, due to the thriving brick industry with its roots in Brunswick. Liver-coloured and reddish brown bricks were more commonly found in Sydney homes, with sandstone extensively used for rubble base walls and verandah piers due to the ubiquitous presence of Sandstone suppliers in the city. South Australia is known for its extensive use of limestone. Queensland on the other hand, favoured the weatherboards over brick.
The Reinvention of the Bungalow
Today, the humble Bungalow continues to inspire architects. Wexhaus’ own Cuckoo House in Footscary is a “contemporary Edwardian”, a playful reinterpretation of the traditional double fronted gabled form. With its contemporary take on the traditional weatherboard exterior and wrap-around verandah, Cuckoo House is a subtle interplay between old and new.
The Hummingbird House in Glen Iris, is a three-story extension to a Californian Bungalow set behind a grand, contemporary pergola. Internally, natural textures and finishes hark back to the Californian ethos of an honest expression of form.
