A rural house in the rustic Australian hinterland 'pushes its occupants outside'
Designed by Tristan Burfield, a rural house in Australia's Mornington Peninsula is a new-build in touch with its idyllic setting
A new rural house engulfed by peaceful Australian nature sits nestled in the Red Hill area of the Mornington Peninsula, Australia. Set in a part of the world rich with indigenous greenery and distinguished natural beauty, the home, simply titled No 41, was conceived as just that; a contemporary rustic idyll and the home of a family looking to revegetate its 2.5 hectares of landscape, establishing a garden of indigenous species centred on a large natural pond.
Step inside this new, idyllic, rural house in Australia
No 41 was designed by architect Tristan Burfield, who jumped at the opportunity to create a piece of residential architecture within such a layered and serene setting. From wine production (the local Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are renowned) to truffle and berry farms, markets and walking trails, the plot is surrounded by nature - yet a number of Monterey Pines, brought into Australia in the 19th century and since smothering local vegetation, causing environmental concerns in Australia, also thrived on site.
Burlfield and his team removed the invasive species and crafted a new landscape (this was worked on by specialist Sam Cox), while forming a leafy environment offering views of the native garden, lake and Red Hill nature beyond.
Within this context, dominated by foliage, flowers and fruit, the architect designed this rural house in a simple, minimalist style, working with a restrained palette of materials - namely brick, timbers and a bit of steel for the battens. The neutral colours - grey blocks, black shou sugi ban spotted gum cladding and warm brown cypress - make for a fitting choice that lets the organic growth around it take centre stage.
Inside, spaces are composed to favour a generosity of scale - in their comfortable ceiling heights, the luxury of the natural materials used, and the openings that frame the surrounding landscape. A circulation space pierces the rural house's core, with kitchen and living areas flanking it on the main ground level.
The upstairs contains a primary bedroom suite and a study, with terraces offering an elevated view of the wider area. A wing extending off these main areas hosts guest rooms and secondary, breakaway rooms.
'In many ways the design and construction of this home took a backseat to its landscape. The home pushes its occupants outside, literally and figuratively. It goes without saying for all my work, but there is something particularly special about this project in seeing just how well it has grown into being a facilitator of life and living both within and on the greater site beyond,' the architect writes.
