Willmot House

Architect: Edith Emery (1962)

Emery’s Domestic Modernism

What happens when women design homes for women?

Step inside Willmott House, one of the earlier residential works of pioneering Tasmanian architect Edith Emery, and discover a house shaped by a remarkable network of women, ideas and creative relationships.

Designed for Mrs Willmott, the house belongs to an important period in Emery’s career, when her architectural practice was closely connected to women who were commissioning, designing, inhabiting and shaping their own homes. These relationships created opportunities for Emery to explore a different approach to domestic architecture, responding closely to the lives, interests and ambitions of the women she worked with.

Look closely and you’ll discover Emery’s distinctive architectural language in the details of the house. Among its most intriguing features is an unusual fireplace inspired by traditional Russian design, a small but telling example of the way ideas and influences found their way into her work.

Willmott House offers a rare opportunity to experience an early Emery home and to look beyond the building itself, uncovering the people and relationships behind its creation.

Come and have a look, explore the details, hear the stories and discover the women whose ideas, connections and creativity helped shape an important chapter of Tasmania’s architectural history.

Open: Sat 7 Nov 12.30pm – 2.30pm (booking required)