Dusty Miller House by Not All Architecture

While the Anglesea property doesn’t extend for hectares, recent council regulations by the Surf Coast Shire have eliminated the high brick fences that have become endemic to the Australian coastline. “The boundaries here between properties are significantly looser than you find in many coastal townships,” says architect Phoebe Clarke, director of Not All Architecture, who worked closely with her colleagues, Claudio Torres and Tim Stelzer. “This allows for the local plant species to spread as much as the local wildlife to freely roam,” she adds.

Designed for a couple with adult children and grandchildren, the new house, now used as a holiday house, will eventually become their permanent abode. Given they have a sizeable extended family, the owners could have opted for a large dwelling – but from the outset they were driven to living in a more modest manner and in a more sustainable way. Approximately 250 square metres in area, the house touches the earth lightly and thoughtfully navigates its 1.5 metre slope, both across the site and falling away from the street. Not All Architecture used this change in terrain to create the access ramp but also to nestle the lower level firmly into the landscape designed by Simon Taylor.

Clad in locally sourced ironbark, the house forms a curve on its northern edge to embrace both the light and views over the Anglesea township. “This house was inspired by the local context with many houses built on stilts. Unfortunately, many of these simple fibro homes are being replaced by large houses more commonly found in major cities,” says Clarke.

Clarke not only used the ironbark to clad the home’s exterior but also carried it into the interior in the form of timber blade walls. Timber also appears extensively in the built-in joinery in areas such as the kitchen, which forms part of the open plan living areas on the first floor (but at level with the street). Pivotal to the kitchen is the irregular-shaped island bench made from timber and Neolith, a crushed porcelain that has a similar hue to bluestone. “It was a key design feature and it was important that it was large enough for the entire family to gather and prepare meals together,” says Clarke. As well as large sliding timber and glass doors leading to the curvaceous terrace (partly open and partly protected overhead), there’s also a celestial window above the kitchen bench that provides a connection back to the street. “It was about being part of this streetscape as much as the local community,” adds Clarke.

As well as open plan living areas on the first level, there’s also the main bedroom and ensuite – allowing the owners to live on the first floor. However, given the house was designed for an extended family, there are also an additional three bedrooms, a shared bathroom and a rumpus room for the children. The shared bathroom on the lower level, has a vanity in the corridor, further defining a looser approach to coastal living. The deep under croft, also orientated to the north, is a drawcard during the warmer months of the year. With its expressed timber beams, it’s also a reminder of a gentler time when beach houses celebrated the elements, rather than turning their back to them. And rather than dressing up finishes and materials and thinking about wall-to-wall marble, it’s the simplicity of this design as much as the coastal landscape that resonates.