Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Holiday Home Among the Gums, With Views of the Sea
This extended-family pad was set up by grandparents to accommodate grandkids, 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 the Australian holiday-house 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 242-kilometre 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 township.
The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed 242-kilometre 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 township.
The living area has views to the ocean.
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.
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.
Find an architect near you on Houzz to design your dream home
The floor plan.
“The client was hoping to create a beach home that opened outward 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,” says the architect, Kate Corke. 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 outward 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,” says the architect, Kate Corke. 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 is subtle, raw and unobtrusive, making it perfect for Lorne,” she says.
Access to the home is through a covered area that features Eco Outdoor bluestone crazy paving.
Browse more beautiful entrances to inspire your own
Browse more beautiful entrances to inspire your own
“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,” says Corke. Charred timber lining boards, a material that feels quite subtle externally, also feels dramatic internally.
The entry draws the user through and up, back to the tree line and horizon.
The entry draws the user through and up, back to the tree line and horizon.
Kitchen joinery (and bedroom joinery, pictured below) in Platinum Class: Dulux.
Another key requirement of the family’s brief was for Corke to create a large kitchen for dinners with family and friends.
Another key requirement of the family’s brief was for Corke 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 benchtop is in granite and the floor is blackbutt.
The kitchen benchtop is in granite and the floor is blackbutt.
Sid pendant light: Jardan; Maiori Huggy bar stools: Open Room.
Ora pendant light: Ross Gardam.
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 is 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,” says Corke.
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 is 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,” says Corke.
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 seperate bathrooms for the bath, shower and toilet, so multiple people could use different facilities at once. The main ensuite (pictured) was going for more of a relaxed beach-house, but still chic, aesthetic.
Terrazzo wall tiles: Fibonacci Stone; custom-designed blackbutt vanity and mirrors: 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 entertainer’s balcony.
Bedroom joinery in Platinum Glass: Dulux.
Your turn
What’s your favourite feature here? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see another beautiful home? Take a read of this India Houzz Tour: A Central Courtyard Opens a City Unit to Nature
Your turn
What’s your favourite feature here? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want to see another beautiful home? Take a read of this India Houzz Tour: A Central Courtyard Opens a City Unit to Nature
Images by Emily Bartlett Photography.
Answers by Kate Corke, architect, Studio CoBe
House at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a family holiday home owned by grandparents whose children and grandchildren visit
Location: Lorne, Victoria
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: Four bedrooms and four bathrooms
Approximate size of the house: 400 to 500 square metres over two storeys
Architect: Studio CoBe
Other professionals involved in the renovation: Great Ocean Road Builders