Facebook

Tweet

Help

Under the profile of a classic farm building, this home offers warmth, comfort and room enough for a ski party

View of kitchen, doors and windows, tiling, lights, countertop, cuisine classique, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, gray, brown
View of kitchen, doors and windows, tiling, lights, kitchen accessories, furnishings, chandellire, wallcoverings.

In the country, a new build is treated with great interest, if not suspicion, by surrounding neighbours. To gain warm local approval, a house will need to sit low on the hill line and be appropriate to the landscape.

This new home, conceived by architect Michael Wyatt and interior decorated by Jewell Cassells, sits demurely within its surroundings.

"The house's familiar barn silhouette is in keeping with the setting, and its position doesn't compromise views from nearby properties," Cassells says. "However, the design is about economy of construction and ease of upkeep, as well as merging with the environment."

The layout comprises a living-dining-kitchen area on the ground floor, with a covered outdoor area contributing to the living spaces. There is also a garage and laundry on this level. Up the stairs, a walkway connects to a master bedroom with ensuite at one end and two bunkrooms at the other. One bunkroom sleeps six guests and the other sleeps five.

"As the owner, who lives in Australia, often brings friends and their families over here ample sleeping accommodation was another prerequisite of the design," Cassells says.


view of family area, lights, doors and windows, ceiling, floor, home, interior design, property, real estate, room, table, gray
view of family area, lights, doors and windows, skylight, wallcoverings, yellow walls, pool table, concrete flooring, furnishings.

Light-filled and expansive, the interior is a mix of rustic and modern influences. Contrasting with a classic barn exterior, the upstairs concrete walkway and fireplace surround provide a strong, semi-industrial feature.

"The use of strong elements and the simple material palette, including the concrete, enable this connection between contemporary and rugged" says Cassells.

The concrete floors offer a good example of this, and the corrugated iron cladding, also chosen in part for economy, would be equally at home on a farmhouse or a warehouse.

"While barns and industrial warehouses might be cold and uncomfortable places, this house is the antithesis of that," says Cassells. "The wall-to-wall concrete floors, for example, are underheated throughout."

If a welcoming ambience is important for a domestic residence, then it is even more essential for a place you travel to specifically for peace and relaxation. To this end, Cassells has combined large, comfortable furniture pieces with the owners' existing furniture and an array of high-end artworks.

view of master bedroom, lights, windows, skylights, bed, architecture, bedroom, ceiling, daylighting, estate, floor, home, house, interior design, real estate, room, wall, window, wood, gray, brown
view of master bedroom, lights, windows, skylights, bed, wallcoverings, yellow walls, bedroom furnishings, white linen, carpet.

"Modern coffee tables sit alongside rustic, second-hand pieces, creating a comfortable, eclectic feel often associated with farmhouse living," she says. "Together with comfort comes ease of upkeep. Surfaces like corrugated iron and concrete are easy to clean, and the chairs are even covered in slips so they are easy to remove and wash."

The house is positioned so bifold doors open out to the warmest of the day's sunshine, while less sunny facades are blanketed in corrugated iron. The house also has double glazing on all windows and doors.

"Essentially, the home has to be set up for summer and winter," says the designer. "An internal garage means aprés-ski visitors can kick off their boots and walk straight from car to fireplace. Broad doorways and a covered outdoor space cater to summer weather, making it a home for all seasons."

Credit list

Interior designer
Jewell Cassells, Cassells Green
Door, window and kitchen manufacturer
Coronet Woodware
Tiling
Fossilstone by Design Source
Wallcoverings
Paint by Fresco Paints
Furniture
Blanchett, custom from
Benchtops
Concrete
Oven and dishwasher
Smeg
Wall tiles
Design Source
Builder
Kerry Smith
Cladding
Corrugated iron from
Flooring
Concrete
Lighting
ECC
Kitchen cabinetry
Ply by
Kitchen sink
Stainless steel
Bathroom vanity
Concrete
Outdoor furniture
Alan Perry

Story by: Charles Moxham

Photography by: Jamie Cobeldick

28 Mar, 2008

Home kitchen bathroom commercial design


Latest Post

01 Dec, 2024

01 Dec, 2024

01 Dec, 2024

We know the Specialists

Similar Stories