“We had a shared enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries, stretching conformity and getting the absolute most out of everything we could have an impact on,” says Peter Ahern, of architecture firm buck&simple. He is describing how he and Kurt Crisp bonded over their shared views on design. The pair, who were previously working at a boutique architecture firm in Paddington, came to realise that their unique architectural vision could only be achieved working for themselves.
United by their shared experiences, Peter and Kurt formed buck&simple in 2013. “We’d both had experience from a mixed scale of firms,” adds Peter. “The practice in Paddington had strong design-driven ethos and opened us up to amazing projects, some that required particularly complex integrations into heritage buildings, some that were new builds and nearly always in an urban context, all of which needed solid concept and execution.
“We look for clients that appreciate the quality in a bespoke, crafted outcome, tailored to their needs and that are excited about the process.”
“I think we both learned a lot from that firm and it also educated us on some things we thought we could do differently.” From day dot they sought projects that they felt could offer opportunities for creating homes that demanded “beautiful resolution”.
“Overall, we look for clients that appreciate the quality in a bespoke, crafted outcome, tailored to their needs and that are excited about the process.” Peter talks candidly about the fact that projects of this nature can require generous budgets, given buck&simple is committed to exploring detail and customised resolutions. “Throughout the design process we explore how an element can be simplified, a space refined, a material expressed,” continues Peter. They use this philosophy as their guiding principle, constantly critiquing the brief and the site, and how a building will respond to – and impact – the environment.
“Throughout the design process we explore how an element can be simplified, a space refined, a material expressed.”
Since 2013, buck&simple has produced a number of standout residential and hospitality projects, all of which attest to their crafted and highly considered approach. Rhodes Apartment is a prime example, a minimalist and intricate apartment renovation. Asked about their proudest moment to date, Peter references the buck&simple brand itself. “It is truly ours, built from the ground up,” he says. “The culture and approach we are developing within the firm, using it as a springboard for ideas and nurturing creativity. Seeing those principles and approach come to fruition in different aspects of each project is the most rewarding.”
Based on buck&simple’s rich – and rapidly growing – portfolio, it’s evident that the pair are set to push even more boundaries in their combined effort to produce ever more refined and detailed projects. “We are constantly looking for new areas and new challenges; the unknown,” says Peter. “We are also currently focusing on assessing and trying to strengthen what we have built. I like to think that we have left enough freedom in the direction of the company that the future of buck&simple can be quite organic. The Doers of Stuff. I want to keep nothing off the table.”
buck&simple
buckandsimple.com
A+H Apartment photography by Simon Whitbread
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