The Stallion Box Subiaco: design-rich tiny escape

Architect designed 110-year-old heritage outhouse conversion in the heart of historic Subiaco. Unique light filled spaces and breathtaking luxury. Indoor and outdoor showers, crystal chandeliers, exposed brick, recycled jarrah barn doors, underfloor heating and antique leadlights make this a truly special stay. Polished warehouse finish concrete floors, an antique teak jali window, custom-designed furniture and steel beams make this space both unique and memorable. Close to gems of Subiaco. The space This is a truly amazing space with indoor and outdoor living and your own private rear entrance off the rear laneway. It sleeps four people in a roomy queen size bed, a single and then a funky fold down bed. It has heaps of history and is located right near the Paris end of Subiaco's famous Rokeby Road and Kings Park. This story explains the legend of Fairview’s “Stallion Box” and how these luxury converted outbuildings got their name. In the 1920s, John Peter Durack, who was a member of the family credited with opening up the Kimberley region of Western Australia in the late 1800's purchased the nearby “Strathmore” at 18 Chester Street, Subiaco. This significant and prominent mansion built originally in 1904 for boot entrepreneur Walter David Cookes, one of the founders of the Ezywalkin Boot and Shoe Company is located a mere one-minute walk away from Fairview via the back lane that runs perpendicular between Chester and Salisbury Streets in Subiaco. The soft sand laneway was well used and well-trodden at the time by both night soil carters and horse drawn milk vendors prior to the sewering of Subiaco in 1927. Also known as "Roaring Jack" Durack, John formed the law firm of Dwyer Durack with Walter Dwyer in 1914 and maintained a passion for hunting throughout his life, first noted at a gathering while still a teenager. He went on to become President of the Hunt Club of Western Australia, went hunting on Wednesdays and kept horses to ride through nearby Kings Park. Legend has it that without approval from his wife Pleasance, whom he married in 1922, he purchased a magnificent black stallion named “Midnight”. Too embarrassed to bring the stallion back to Strathmore, one dark moonless spring evening in 1923 he brought the horse down the back laneway and hid it in the outhouses of Fairview which had enough space for a frisky stallion and backed onto the rear laneway. He chose Fairview because of its proximity, downhill walk and relationship with his good friend ice engineer John Kennedy, his wife Christina and their 23-year-old youngest daughter Joan Adelaide Clark Kennedy, with whom he was well connected with via local equine, social and business circles at the time. The 1920s were a time of consolidation for Subiaco’s well educated elite and everyone knew everyone as careers were forged and families were brought up. The story goes that on that dark night Kennedy and Durack were guided by the lighthouse at Rottnest Island which was then clearly visible from the elevated portion of the back laneway. Midnight was housed in the outside laundry at Fairview for a week until Roaring Jack worked up the courage to tell Pleasance of his purchase. The legend of Roaring Jack Durack, Midnight and an ice engineer continues to this day and this is how the Stallion Box at Fairview got its name. Soak up this history in this special architect designed space. Guest access You will have access to the whole space including outdoor seating and cooking areas including the stunning outdoor BBQ. Access is via a rear gate that backs onto the rear laneway. This makes it very private in terms of access. Be respectful of neighbours. Other things to note If you love architecture, design and re-purposing of heritage spaces you will love The Stallion Box Subiaco. It is a tiny house with indoor and outdoor spaces and a jewel-like dining area and kitchenette that lets the outdoors in with slimline sliding doors. A beautiful warehouse finish polished concrete floor pulls the whole space together. You have your own keypad entry with private entrance off the rear laneway. Design Notes The inspiration for the design of the living area is The Glass House (or Johnson house), a historic house in Connecticut, USA built in 1948–49 and designed by architect Philip Johnson as his own residence. The building is an example of minimal structure, geometry, proportion, and the effects of transparency and reflection. Using glass and steel and taking inspiration from the Bauhaus movement, the views of the outdoors landscape are its wallpaper with no curtains or blinds. So, The Stallion Box Subiaco living area has been designed for that seamless indoor-outdoor living so you feel part of the beautiful gardens. At only 35 square metres, this tiny house packs a real punch with its combination of recycled and premium materials. For example, the bespoke minimalist slimline vitrosca sliding doors in the living area have been deliberately kept clear of curtains and blinds to create a sophisticated and visually appealing space full of light which has been featured in design magazines, such as Fabric Quarterly. The living room wooden love seat is also a repurposed antique. If you do not like high-end, architect designed indoor-outdoor living in a jewel-like glass box in a stunning courtyard, this is not the Airbnb for you. If your Airbnb experience expectation is to sit on a comfy lounge in total privacy all day where everything is spick and span and sparkly, then clearly this is not the space for you. We recommend our two other spaces, the sultry and moody and very private Industrial Chic Self-Contained Basement Apartment, or the massive Light Filled Loft Space which has a living area with two of the most comfy lounges you will ever come across. Search for these as separate listings. Note, this is a hosted Airbnb and the host lives at the front of the large historic mansion. The Stallion Box sits at the very rear of the large double block and nestles comfortably next to the main historic house, known as Fairview. Special Design Notes Entry is via a keypad locked gate via the rear laneway. Both bedrooms are lockable from both the inside and outside. The three 110-year-old original outbuildings are linked to the new structure by an open covered breezeway. The architect has chosen this design for three reasons. Firstly, to provide privacy from the main house. Secondly, to capture nothern light as it bounces off the polycarbonate structure back into the openings of the two south facing rooms. Thirdly, to provide overhead protection from the weather when accessing the bathroom or kitchenette from these two rooms. Historic House Tours Guided tours of the main house, Fairview are available on request or as part of The Australian Heritage Festival from April 18 to May 18 and the Perth Art Weekend, a three-day day curated program of exhibitions and events to engage with artists, curators, collectors and art professionals held in August. The Stallion Box is also part of Open House Perth, an annual event that celebrates the best of architecture, design and the built environment in Perth and its surrounds. It gives visitors unprecedented, behind-the-scenes access to Perth’s best places and spaces. Registration Details STRA6008SX9OQQ0Y