Lloyd Rees House and Studio

Rees designed and built the house in 1934 in the suburb of Northwood. He proceeded to live and paint at the place for over half his life.

In his autobiography Rees wrote “I set out to design the house and at the back of my mind there was always the idea of a Mediterranean type of building. I wanted a simple façade with a colonnaded verandah on the upper floor and in the end it just automatically came.”

(Rees, L, Peaks and Valleys, cited in Rees J and A, Northwood House–Family History, 2017).

GML were engaged by the Rees family in April 2017 to prepare a heritage assessment of the property, including the house, garden, studio and its interiors and collections. The report was finalised prior to the sale of the property to a private buyer in late 2017. Studio contents, including Rees’ easel, painting smocks, paintbrushes, furniture, books and art materials were transferred to the Art Gallery of NSW subsequent to archival recording of the studio in situ.

GML worked in close consultation with the Rees family to assess the heritage significance of the place. Jan and Alan Rees (Rees’ son and daughter in law) contributed to the history, archival material and recording of the significant character and collections.

The assessment outlines the State-level significance of the property and its collections, primarily important for its longstanding association with eminent artist Lloyd Rees as the site of his creative and technical output for over 50 years. Recommendations were provided for the family and future owners to guide conservation and ongoing management of the place.