A trip to the seaside in Tasmania often yields a treasure trove of period 1950/60s homes and commercial buildings. Some homes, locally referred to as “shacks” are small but comfortable, whilst others are the size of an average suburban house, often housing their own garage and many interesting exterior and interior post war design features.
One of the prerequisites for the beach house or shack has to be a flat pitch angled roof. They outnumber the traditional pitched roof, to the point that spotting a pitched roof makes them look like the odd ones out. What interests me is that although towns and cities have their share of 1950s flat roof design and post war features I get the feeling that they are snubbed at as being either out of fashion. That is they are neither old enough to have a nostalgia or new enough to be cutting-edge trendy. On the other hand it it seems 1950s homes on the beach have more of an acceptance.
Beach side towns like Greens Beach are a hidden sanctuary for post war homes to exist in harmony and their owners seem equally as proud, as a wander around the streets visually demonstrates the multitude of exterior features that remain. Flat pitched angles roofs so as the rain can drain, simple geometric verandah fencing, and one of my favourites has got to be the timber frame square and rectangular windows that exude symmetrical style and perfection. Many new homes that have been built here in part reflect and pay homage to the 1950s design style with features such as their angled roofs.
Perhaps it will only be a matter of time before post war homes are more positively accepted in our cities as important links to our past, giving an important insight into our social and architectural history.
Click here to see more photographs I have done on 1950/60s Beach House Architecture
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