The house

The house at Kiloren was designed by architect John Mansfield (1906 – 1965). He placed the house perfectly – tucked into the hillside, sheltered from wind and with a sunny northern aspect for the living areas and courtyard.

Mansfield’s style has been described as ‘pared-back and classical’ – a fitting description of Kiloren, a gracious three bedroom home with beautiful garden views from its many multi-paned windows. To sit in the elegant (40 square metre) living room in winter, warmed by a roaring fire, and look out onto the garden through large French windows, is perhaps Mansfield’s best gift to those who live in and visit this special house. 

A Bosky slow combustion stove and gas supply provides a choice of fuel (or combination of both) to drive the hydronic heating system.

The architect

John Mansfield studied architecture at the University of Sydney under Professor Leslie Wilkinson. He became a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, studied town planning and interior design at the Architectural Association School in London and back in Australia, founded the NSW Town and Country Planning Institute. Of Mansfield’s many elegant residences and holiday houses built for private clients, his most important individual design in the late 1930s was a mansion on the waterfront at Vaucluse for his college friend Sir Alexis Albert. Other projects included the remodelling of Rona, Bellevue Hill, Springfield, Goulburn, and Harrington Park at Narellan. With Leslie Walford he redecorated Sydney Town Hall's centennial hall, and with Dame Helen Blaxland restored Kirribilli House for the Commonwealth government.

The Kiloren living room is an elegant 40 square metre space with extensive views across the perfectly proportioned grassy courtyard, basalt stone retaining wall and gently rising hillside to the northern boundary. Mansfield designed the room to embrace the garden on both sides.

Kiloren has a warm, cosy informal living space, with extensive bookshelves and an excellent slow-combustion fire built in to the original open fireplace. The room opens to the north to a casual eating area with French windows or, as shown here, leads into the formal dining room - a wonderful room with more views to the garden. After dark, it becomes a rich candle-lit space for evening dining.