Boyd House II

The Walsh Street House, also known as the Boyd House II, is a family home in Walsh Street, South Yarra, Victoria, Melbourne, Australia, designed by Robin Boyd in 1958, which the Boyds moved into a year later. Robin Boyd was known not only as an architect but also an architectural writer, educator and commentator. Born in 1919, he came from a creative family background of sculptors, painters and architects. He and his wife Patricia occupied the South Yarra home with their two daughters.

House II is acknowledged as one of Robin Boyds most prestigious houses. Boyd wanted to create a "private indoor-outdoor environment despite the narrowness of the allotment and the congested surroundings of the inner suburb." "It is significant as a material expression of Boyd's architectural ideas and writings, which were known internationally at the time." It also stood out as architecture based on a strong structural-functional design, therefore the structure and function of the home in relation to society. Like Walsh Street, the allotment was on an incline. Originally, the allotment was part of a much larger plot of land and the Walsh Street house sits today on what was once a small side garden. The plan of the house was designed so that most views orient inwards, to the internal courtyard. Due to this introverted plan, views from the street into the house are limited. A large Monterey Pine Tree (Pinus radiata) is located at the front of the house and Boyd designed around the large tree in order to preserve it.

House II was the second Boyd home and the design was inspired by overseas architectural styles. Boyd was fond of International architecture, in particualar the functionalist manner. When living in his first family home situated in Camberwell, he considered open plan living, and the idea of allocated areas for the adults and children in the one home. Boyd was also influenced by the "structural optimism of the Spanish engineer, Eduardo Torroja". This optimism was matched by an ambitious proposition by Robin Boyd that considered how one could conceive the idea of dwelling in the Boyd house.

Functionalism design strongly influenced the appearance of the house at Walsh Street. Boyd deeply considered the choice of material, structure and details. Furthermore, prior to the construction of the house he wrote "he [the architect] will interpret his own design in every furnishing and fitting, in the position of every ashtray, in where he leaves the evening paper, in how he sleeps in where and how he and his family eat."

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