Joe Chindarsi. Perth, Western Australia
Joe Chindarsi started his career working for one of Perth’s large commercial practices. During this time he also took on a number of residential projects for family and friends, completing them in his spare time. After several years working around the clock, it was the death of his grandmother while he was designing a holiday home for her that made him re-focus.
“It was then that I decided to take the leap into setting up my own practice as way of simplifying my life and focusing on what was important to me”, Joe says. “I enjoyed working on smaller residential projects and it felt really nice to be able to make a difference in the lives of my family and friends through well designed spaces to live in.”
Creating smart, flexible and adaptable spaces is key in Joe’s work. In particular, he always considers how he can create spaces with more than one purpose. “Doubling up the use of a space within the home not only saves money but also leaves more space for the garden”, Joe explains.
To get spaces right Joe’s key ingredients are good ceiling heights, and lots of light and air. “These are the things that will make a space so much more enjoyable”, he says.
Joe’s advice to people designing and building a new home is to take time with the design process. “It’s so much harder to change something once it has been built. It is much easier to make changes on paper!” he says.
In terms of design aesthetic, Joe believes that being able to draw inspiration from a wide variety of influences can enrich a project. For example, he loves the sense of calm and clarity in modern Scandinavian and traditional Japanese architecture, and the way they tie in their culture and landscape through form and material use. He is also inspired by Thai culture. “My background is half Thai and half Australian, so Thai culture is a well of inspiration for me”, he says. “There is so much richness in traditional the Thai house and temple architecture.”
When it comes to design trends, the move to smaller residential lots and the “tiny home” is something Joe would love to see more of in Perth. “These sorts of homes are more sustainable and more affordable - two of the biggest challenges we face as a society. We live in some of the largest homes on average in the world, so smaller well designed, sustainable and functional spaces are key.”
One of Joe’s favourite parts of designing a home is the design exploration stage. “I love the questions and what ifs in the initial stages. There is so much possibility”, he says. “And of course I love seeing the designs take shape on site. It’s always a joy to see ideas come to life.”
