Houzz Tour: A Holiday Home Among the Trees With Views of the Sea
This extended-family pad was set up by grandparents to accommodate grandchildren, fun in the sun and lazy holidays
Ocean views from an expansive home set among the trees… Read on to see how one extended family built their holiday-home dream.
When these Melbourne-based homeowners were on the lookout for a holiday home with the intention to renovate, Lorne, on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, emerged as the perfect locale.
The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed, 150-mile stretch of road along the south-eastern coast, running between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Lorne sits between hills and sea, providing an amphitheatre-like setting for the town.
Find an architect near you on Houzz to design your dream home.
The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed, 150-mile stretch of road along the south-eastern coast, running between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Lorne sits between hills and sea, providing an amphitheatre-like setting for the town.
Find an architect near you on Houzz to design your dream home.
The house the couple bought four years ago had its own special qualities, including ocean views set within a treescape and its location on a corner block.
The floorplan.
“The client was hoping to create a beach home that opened outwards to the elements to maximise the stunning view, but also to realise a playful internal sanctuary allowing for slow, enjoyable days, entertaining and family life,” architect Kate Corke says.
They also wanted a house with connections to nature and that responded to the landscape in a subtle way.
“The client was hoping to create a beach home that opened outwards to the elements to maximise the stunning view, but also to realise a playful internal sanctuary allowing for slow, enjoyable days, entertaining and family life,” architect Kate Corke says.
They also wanted a house with connections to nature and that responded to the landscape in a subtle way.
Corke’s material of choice for the exterior (and some internal linings) was charred timber boards – a traditional Japanese technique of blackening timber known as shou sugi ban. “It’s well-suited to this coastal project, due to its durability and low maintenance, but also, aesthetically, it’s subtle, raw and unobtrusive, making it perfect for Lorne,” Kate says.
Access to the home is through a covered area that features Eco Outdoor bluestone crazy paving.
“Given that the house is made up of a cluster of unique spaces and moments both internally and externally, it seemed fitting that the materials were also consistent between interior and exterior,” Kate says. Charred timber lining boards, a material that feels quite subtle externally, feels dramatic internally.
The hallway draws the user through and up, back to the treeline and horizon.
The hallway draws the user through and up, back to the treeline and horizon.
Another key requirement of the family’s brief was for Kate to create a large kitchen for dinners with family and friends.
The kitchen joinery features Dulux two-pack polyurethane lining-board doors in Platinum Class with custom-made round blackbutt door handles.
The kitchen worktop is in granite and the floor is blackbutt (an Australian native hardwood).
The kitchen worktop is in granite and the floor is blackbutt (an Australian native hardwood).
Sid pendant light, Jardan. Maiori Huggy bar stools, Open Room.
Integrating views to nature and blurring the thresholds between inside and out in this house have been achieved with subtlety.
Internally, in every space, including this window seat near the living area, there’s a dramatic connection to the external landscape through expansive doors and windows. “When the doors are all open, the house very much feels equally an outdoor sanctuary as it does an indoor one,” Kate says.
Ora pendant light. Ross Gardam.
Internally, in every space, including this window seat near the living area, there’s a dramatic connection to the external landscape through expansive doors and windows. “When the doors are all open, the house very much feels equally an outdoor sanctuary as it does an indoor one,” Kate says.
Ora pendant light. Ross Gardam.
Ivy coffee tables, Grazia & Co.
The fireplace plinth is granite in a brushed-leather finish.
The client wanted something practical for the bathrooms, including a large bath for the grandchildren after a day at the beach.
They also wanted separate bathrooms for the bath, shower and toilet, so multiple people could use different facilities at once. The main en suite (pictured) was going for more of a relaxed beach-house – but still chic – aesthetic.
Terrazzo wall tiles, Fibonacci Stone. Custom-designed blackbutt vanity unit; mirrors, all Corke Design Studio.
Given the home is set among the trees, it keeps relatively cool. With its northeast aspect, it has consistent sun and light on the balcony.
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature here? Tell us in the Comments.
What’s your favourite feature here? Tell us in the Comments.
House at a Glance
Who lives here? This is a family holiday home owned by grandparents whose children and grandchildren visit
Location Lorne, Victoria, Australia
Size Four bedrooms and four bathrooms; 400 sq m to 500 sq m over two storeys
Architect Kate Corke of Studio CoBe
Interior designer Studio CoBe (Interiors)
Other professionals involved in the renovation Great Ocean Road Builders
Photos by Emily Bartlett Photography