In a Room is a conversation series where we ask our friends to share their favourite domestic spaces. For this edition we’re joined by artist SEAN EDWARD WHELAN.
Sean Edward Whelan is an artist based in Hobart, Tasmania, engaging in various mediums, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and digital animation, to create his vibrant surrealist pieces. Whelan's practice draws influence from cities, human histories, and distinct cultural and contemporary artistic styles, from the alternative lowbrow art scene of Melbourne (where Whelan was born) to recent explorations of Japanese Kaijyu, mythology and contemporary interpretations of European traditionalist movements.
Here Sean takes us on a personal journey through his home and studio, and then through one of his favourite types of rooms, a traditional style found on a visit to a historic Japanese residence.
Which room are you in today?
Today I’m sitting in our spare room, which has my desk, computer and piles of art supplies and books among other things. It’s become a de facto home office for when I’m working at home for my day job, and also a quiet place with enough space for my art practice after hours. There is a record player and an old stereo that could do with a bit of TLC, but to be honest, I stream most of my music these days, so the few records I have are largely just keepsakes. I’m sitting in this room today to write this, but I’m also here because it’s my weekend. And I’d say I spend quite a lot of time doing art and other design projects that come my way every Saturday and Sunday.
Which room is the most active in your house?
The house has a combined living, kitchen dining area which makes it the busiest and most active room, just because it’s where most of the living happens. Amongst all the plants, there is a TV, bookshelves, a couch and chairs, and a dining table. The kitchen has a counter that divides the cooktops and cupboards from all this but during breakfast and dinner times there is activity either side. This room is used mostly for meals, watching TV, listening to music, flipping through books or when friends come by, a place to have a coffee and a chat.
Which room gets the least amount of use?
It’s hard to say which room is used the least, but if I were to estimate based on time, I’d say it’s the bathroom. Outside of the living room where I have dinner and watch TV, and the bedroom where I spend at least a third of the day sleeping, the bathroom is more or less a thoroughfare on my way to work in the morning. But if I could count the garden — which is really just a postage stamp of grass out the back — as a room, that would be the space in my house I spend the least amount of time, easily. I only go out there when I’m hanging washing or tidying up, and apart from that, it’s not a particularly inspiring or functional space.
Which is your work-from-home room of choice?
The spare room, for the most part, is free from distraction and comfortable enough during the warmer months to be my WFH room. With one window facing south onto the street, it’s not the best during winter, and there isn’t much to see, but it keeps me focused, and screen glare is never a problem!
Nomura-ke Residence, Kanazawa, Japan
What defines a great room?
I’ve never really thought about it that deeply! But perhaps, all rooms can be great, but how great they are can only be measured by whether or not they meet the purpose they have been designed to fulfil. That said, I think the best rooms consider this in their size, proportions, lighting, furnishings, surfaces, temperature, whether they have windows and what they look out onto, and even in the way sound travels through the space. If all of these are appropriate to the function of the room, then I think it has a better chance of being a great room. While it’s not a great room, the living room in my house has large windows that overlook the estate where I live. When the weather is bad, I can listen to the rain on the roof and watch the clouds roll across the valley, warm and dry from the comfort of my couch. Some of this has come about through the choices I’ve made and making the best of the room’s features..
Tell us about your all-time favourite room.
It might sound contradictory, but I love rooms that look out over gardens, and one day I hope I have the space — and the time — to make that a reality. I remember one room in particular I visited in Kanazawa, Japan that was designed specifically to open up onto an incredible garden. It was one of the many rooms in a traditional samurai’s residence called Nomura-ke. If you’ve ever been in a Japanese tatami room like this, you don’t have to look very hard to see how everything is considered for you to enjoy the experience. The partitioned walls slide in runners, opening up the sides of the room to a degree, and the understated wooden construction of the traditionally built house allows the nature of the garden to enter. I visited during a hot summer day, probably somewhere in the mid-thirties, but the combination of green from the garden, the sound of running water and a light breeze was so peaceful and cooling, I think I forgot how uncomfortable I was in that heat for a moment. A modern, more practical reimagining of that room to remind me of that experience would be very special.
