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In contrast, Rese practised in alternative
medicine but walked away from this in the
early 2000s seeking a new challenge. She
worked in a friend’s West End cafe which
Shane, who was working on a job nearby,
lunched at each day. Over lunchtime chats
they discovered similar interests and became
good friends. Shortly after this Rese moved to
Sydney but they kept in touch and eventually
became partners in life and work.
Why Elvis? There are two theories. Shane says
it’s because he’s a “skinny white guy,” but some
say it’s because he is the “King of Details.”Take
your pick.Although they are based in Brisbane,
Shane and Rese consider that exciting
masonry briefs are easier to find in Sydney and
Melbourne, than in their home town.We spoke
to two architects about their Elvis & Rose
experience.
The duo recently completed an extension to
an Art Deco house in the Brisbane suburb of
Coorparoo, which included an elevated deck.
“Shane and Rese were really key in resolving
the details and working through some of the
trickier structural details,” says Nick Tyson of
Phorm Architecture + Design.“We don’t usually
work much with brick, but they opened our
eyes to the potential and the possibilities and
the aesthetic of brick.” Nick often runs into
Shane and Rese in West End “and there’s
always a quirky brick detail not too far away
that they want to show us.”
For Jayson Blight, a director of Brisbane’s Cox
Rayner Architects, working with Shane and
Rese on an extension to his classic
Queenslander was also a first.“I’ve actually
never worked in brick before,” he confesses.“I
have always wanted to do a building in brick
but we come from more of a steel and glass
background.”
previous opening.
Several
structures prepared in a master
class conducted by Elvis & Rose for
Think Brick Australia at Chowder
Bay. (Photography by Katherine Lu
courtesy Think Brick Australia.)
Shane Norton and Rese Rose
Gates bring complementary skills
to their unusual partnership.
this opening.
More than just
walling, Elvis & Rose work on a wide
range of creative and original
structures. (right) Shane and Rese
inspect a hit-and-miss wall on an
extension they are building for
Jayson Blight, a director of Cox
Rayner Architects. Note the open
perpends. Designers: (from left)
Phorm Architecture + Design
(photograph by Camera Obscura
Photography); Brian Steendyk
(photograph by Christopher
Frederick Jones); Cox Rayner
Architects.
Shane and Rese photos by
Alex Chomicz.
