Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 166 October 2025 i Houses

Nestled into the lush hillside of Mount Keira, Mountain House is a serene retreat designed by Nadine K Design in collaboration with Contractors United Homes. Inspired by Japandi design, it blends Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics with the surrounding landscape, offering a tranquil escape with panoramic views. A defining feature of Mountain House is its striking LYSAGHT ENSEAM walling in COLORBOND Steel’s Monument. The broad, flat pans and subtle ribbing add texture and depth, perfectly complementing the home’s clean, minimalist lines. Its concealed fixing system ensures a seamless, refined look, enhancing the home’s contemporary yet natural aesthetic. The deep Monument tone creates a bold contrast while harmonising beautifully with the Illawarra escarpment. Beyond aesthetics, LYSAGHT ENSEAM delivers exceptional durability and resilience, making it ideal for Australia’s climate. Its robust construction ensures…

There are six seasons in the Noongar calendar. Makuru (typically around June and July) is the coldest and wettest season, and even so, the south-west of Western Australia is bustling with Perthites and locals. I visited Injidup Springs House in a gap between rains, finding a black box pushing out of the bush into a sand driveway. Around it, the black trunks of the grass trees seem to merge with the folded black steel cladding of this cubic box. The cube is one of a pair, and beyond them lies a larger linear building, also black, which extends down until it meets a simple, windowless concrete block wall. I am drawn in, to a deep-set entry where black steel and grey concrete blocks meet. The two perpendicular walls have formed…

It’s a testament to the way Figureground Architecture has nailed the brief for Warrandyte House that we conducted our Houses interview without disturbing a wing of teens enjoying a school holiday sleepover. This chill party house for five has a flowy, indoor-outdoor vibe that left me imagining nights under the stars by the firepit, and craving longer with the resident llama. The house just has a welcoming ease. Perched on a ridgeline, this handsome split-level home on a 5-hectare hobby farm is designed around tranquil views in all directions to bushland and rolling hills. Not surprisingly, the spectacular escarpment and valley below kept drawing us outside to breathe it all in. Located around 25 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, Warrandyte is more bushy hamlet than ’burb, and it was the sprawling…

You probably only need one hand to count the good things that resulted from COVID-19 lockdowns. More flexibility in where we choose to work is one and, well, I’m sure there are others. For one group of friends, however, designing and building their own homes in an increasingly impenetrable housing market may well be top of their list of positive outcomes. During lockdowns, the three couples often discussed the difficulties of buying a home anywhere near Melbourne’s inner suburbs, never mind one that was both well-designed and well-suited to their needs. It was during one of these chats that the idea of joining forces was born. The group – among them two architects, two interior designers and an electrician – decided to pool their collective resources and lean on their…

When a house frames an expansive view, how does the architect reveal that view to the occupant? Often, within the lexicon of Australian residential pavilion design, there is a tendency for an immediate reveal beyond a solid entry wall, meaning once you have stepped beyond the initial threshold you are engaged with the vista. For Nebraska, designed by Tasmanian architect Lara Maeseele, the entry point is just the beginning of the experience; it does not reveal the whole view nor provide a map for the entire home – this is to be discovered through exploration. The project evolved out of the client’s long-held family connection with North Bruny and an attraction to the Killora Bay house, also designed by Lara (in association with Tanner Architects, see Houses issue 140). The…

In the 1860s, Henry and William Stephenson – likely brothers – commenced building a group of dwellings in the fledgling suburb of Carlton in Naarm/Melbourne. William, a Northumbrian stonemason, built himself a bluestone residence and another two bluestone cottages conjoined as a small terrace. Over the years, the terraced cottages were linked to become a single maze-like residence, which has been home to many different people while accruing more than a century of wear and tear. Current owners Ebru and Will, working with Ellul Architecture founder Ben Ellul, have reclaimed the cottages and created an inner-urban sanctuary within Stephenson’s bluestone walls. This project has deftly negotiated multiple constraints to arrive at a new set of spaces that build on the storied past of this locality. The original terraced cottages were…

Find more residential products: architectureau.com/products 01 Gelato portable lamp by Carlo Nason Originally a 1960s wired table lamp, Gelato is now a cordless, dimmable LED light reimagined by Carlo Nason and Established and Sons. Charged via magnetic USB-C, it combines coloured blown glass with haptic dimming and comes in four finishes: Spritz (pictured), Mint, Azure and Smoke. Photograph: Daniele Fummo. livingedge.com.au 02 Neva Fade carpet from Tsar Carpets Neva Fade by Tsar Carpets features a horizontal gradient with an earthy tonality that shifts from deep brown to grey. Hand-tufted from New Zealand wool and tencel, the 7–9 mm pile combines loop and cut textures. Sizing and colour personalisation is also available to complement any room. cultdesign.com.au 03 Acerbis Lokum tables by Sabine Marcelis Crafted…

Find more residential products: architectureau.com/products/ 01 Venti 20 tapware collection from Gessi The elegance and innovation of the 1920s is given a contemporary touch in this tapware collection by Lázaro Rosa-Violán. The range mixes classic Art Deco curves with a clean, updated finish. Each tap or accessory is crafted to feel balanced and beautiful in the hand, turning everyday rituals into something special. gessi.com 02 Moiré Rose mosaics from Bisazza Bisazza’s Moiré Rose mosaic introduces a layered tonal pattern in pink and rose-tinted glass tesserae. Featured in Greg Natale’s Five Dock House project, the intricate pattern is brought to life through natural light interplay, offering a textural and chromatic experience. Photograph: Anson Smart. bisazza.com 03 The Streaks hardware from Bankston Handcrafted in Australia from…

The connection between building and landscape has long been a preoccupation of architects in Australia. More than any other architect, Glenn Murcutt has brought international attention to the subtlety and richness of an architecture attuned to its place over more than five decades of sustained practice. Glenn, Australia’s only Pritzker Prize-winning architect, is celebrated for the way in which his designs are integrated with their natural and cultural landscapes, bound through siting, material and form. It is in this context that Gold Creek – a modest house of 100 square metres in the semi-rural western fringes of Brisbane – must be considered. Designed by Brian Steendyk of Steendijk and Glenn Murcutt in collaboration, the house demonstrates how the attraction of landscape remains a productive muse for contemporary designers. Tucked below…

It’s a midweek morning in a busy and growing suburb of the Gold Coast, where buildings push to impress and neighbours compete for street parking with cars, boats, caravans and trailers. Amid the busyness sits the modest facade of Palm Beach House. There’s no front fence, unlike many of its neighbours. Instead, the 1954 home’s scale and character greet the street alongside an open carport and front courtyard, where an Acacia podalyriifolia creeps towards the service drop. “One of the key decisions we made early on was to retain the cottage,” says architect James Knight, who designed additions to the home with architect and long-time collaborator, Dan Wilson. “The Gold Coast has a reputation for being pro-development. Older buildings are frequently lost to new construction, so it was really nice…