Somers Beach House by March Studio, Australia

Designed by March Studio, this beach house - an hour’s drive from Melbourne - celebrates the coastal scrub of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Photography: John Gollings

(Image credit: John Gollings)

By Ellie Stathaki

last updated 11 August 2022

in Features

Side view of house with thick timber frames — The single-storey residence is constructed almost entirely in timber, with substantial angular glulam beams providing a sense of drama from the street

Open plan interior of house with wooden flooring and walls — Created for a design-savvy couple with an impressive collection of contemporary art, the brief to March Studio included sufficient wall space to display art as well as substantial glass walls and windows to appreciate the natural bush setting

Living room of house with sofa, shelves and sloped ceiling — 'We created a fairly neutral interior for the art,' says March Studio director Rodney Eggleston, pointing out the white plaster combined with lime-washed timber walls

Open plan kitchen and dining room — Approximately 250 square metres in size, the Somers house is divided into two wings. The main house includes an open plan kitchen, dining and living areas...

Bedroom interior view of bed and wardrobe used as room divider — ...together with the adjoining main bedroom and dressing area

White kitchen counters, wooden flooring and ceiling — 'I wanted to reference the timber homes in the area, those built in the 1950s and 60s, in particular a timber house designed by the architect Kevin Borland,' explains Eggleston

Wooden house with view of indoor swimming pool — The architect engaged a former shipbuilder to construct the house

Exterior view of wooden decking, walls and construction posts — A 'boardwalk' connects the two wings of the house

View of inside doorway of house — There are two bedrooms and a bathroom, accessed only from the boardwalk, which remain protected from the elements but independent of the main house

Bathroom interior with green and white tiling — ‘There is a sense of a motel from the 1950s, with the separate bedroom and bathroom. But this allows the house to be energy efficient when the owners come on their own,' says Eggleston

Exterior view of wooden style house — And to ensure light and heat from the harsh Australian sun in the residence can be monitored throughout the year...

Wooden house with striped red and white blinds on glass panels — ...automated striped awnings add an important layer to the design. ‘When you arrive, it’s not dissimilar to pitching a tent,' adds Eggleston

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Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).