Inside a Breathtaking Coastal Home Seamlessly Merging with Nature (House Tour)

Fairhaven Beach House captures rough and sprawling forms which, shaping the spatial surrounds, offer a journey of discovery. Inside a breathtaking coastal home seamlessly merging with nature, Wardle follows a process akin to scenography, crafting a home that dramatically presents its ocean views.

Set high above the Great Ocean Road, inside a breathtaking coastal home seamlessly merging with nature, the local surf beach on the western coast of Victoria is enjoyed by inhabitants. The design brief required relating the home to its site, adjusting the architecture so it settles into the land and endures the stresses of the local climate. From the edge of the beach house to its main living area, Wardle fosters a sense of drama. To enter the home, residents must first follow a narrow path – “almost like a fissure between rocks,” says Wardle – before passing through a bespoke front door.

Inside a breathtaking coastal home seamlessly merging with nature, a canyon-like entryway highlights the home’s verticality, limiting views of nature before residents reach the main living area. The space then widens to reveal a vast panorama. “We often describe it [the inside of the home] almost like a cinematic projection where at each stage you see other layers of view and it opens up only when you arrive at this living space,” says Wardle. “We've broken it up into a series of spaces within each [zone] that then inflect slightly toward a different part of the ocean view. As you leave one space and walk to another, there's a different aspect of the view toward the ocean to be experienced.”

In the north-facing kitchen, a large window can be slid back to activate the courtyard space. “At the same time,” says Wardle, “it [the kitchen] is oriented back toward this one long projection of the view, out to the ocean through the dining area.” A staircase just off the entryway leads up to most of the bedrooms, while a glass bridge links the ground floor to the terrace and study. The study is the only space set away from the ocean, instead facing lush treetops to the north of the home.

Inside a breathtaking coastal home seamlessly merging with nature, coastal Blackbutt timber features across the floors, walls, windows, ceiling and joinery. “It's the singularity of this beautiful Australian eucalypt that I think is one of the primary considerations of our material selection,” says Wardle. Some windows and ventilation panels are hidden by timber so that new sightlines can be opened in a way that does not affect major viewing windows. In contrast to most of the furniture, the dining table is made of solid Victorian Ash. The piece celebrates the ceremony of dining with place settings incised into its surface and an inset tray and bowl.

“It's great to come back to a house that we've done several years ago now,” says Wardle. “It's settling into the landscape … it's amazing timber structure and zinc-clad exterior are combating the elements as well as we could have hoped.” Expansive and sculptural, inside a breathtaking coastal home seamlessly merging with nature, a bold design directive responds to context, championing not only unique spatial setups but also a theatrical approach to design.

00:00 - Introduction to the Coastal Home
01:13 - Meeting the Clients Needs
01:41 - A Walkthrough of the Home
02:42 - The Custom Joinery and Furniture
03:34 - The Durable Material Palette
04:43 - Aspects and Views

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Photography by Derek Swalwell.
Architecture and interior design by Wardle.
Build by Spence Construction.
Landscape design by Elizabeth Peck.
Structural engineering by Felicetti Engineers and Bollinger Grohmann.
Electrical engineering by McKenzie Group Consulting.
Filmed and edited by Dan Preston.
Production by The Local Production.

Location: Fairhaven, Victoria, Australia

The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

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