Yarra Valley House

Set in Victoria’s Yarra Valley wine region, this house enjoys a secluded setting, overlooking a vineyard with views to the mountains beyond. Chelsea Hing Interior Design Studio’s clients had originally built the house only seven years prior to engaging CHDS to overhaul it, as they were already suffering the growing pains of not having enough space for their family.

All up, the project took nearly four years to complete.

Chelsea Hing Interior Design Studio’s clients originally came to them with an expanded brief to create a guest suite, a private master bedroom zone, more room for their rowdy three boys to play, and an overall update to the kitchen, bathrooms and storage throughout that would cope with the rough and tumble of life.

Given the limits of retaining the existing building footprint where possible, the design response was to extend the first floor to include a guest suite and enclose an internal ground floor garden to double the size of the rumpus room.

Chelsea Hing Interior Design Studio also proposed a complete flip of the master bedroom and robe to capitalise on the view by providing a private entry point off the stair and adding an ensuite onto the rear.

The scope was a little more than the clients were comfortable with. So a reduced brief was agreed that excluded the guest suite addition, but proceeded with the rest of the design.

This allowed CHDS to work primarily within the existing footprint with the minor addition of the new ensuite and extending out the rumpus.

Chelsea Hing said, “On my first visit to the house, I looked out through the living room windows, down into the valley and was struck by all the beautiful colours in the landscape. Ghost greys of the eucalypts, the washed out greens of the grapevines, the terracotta blush of the soil and the blackened bark of the trees. I had my colour palette.”

It seemed an obvious thing to build the interior finishes around these colours to create a language with the landscape. Rich terracottas, saddle tan leathers, polished plaster, slate, cedar and sandblasted timber were used to create a warmth and familiarity between inside and out.

Limited by the low ceilings throughout, the CHDS team coated all the walls and ceilings in polished plaster to create textural shade and bounce light onto the ceilings.

They changed out all the windows, cleaning up repetitive runs with large picture windows to frame the views and bring the pool deck to life.

CHDS wrapped new render around the entirety of the house.

It began to feel like a modern Australian country home.

To lend a modern edge to the interior, graphic elements like the Patricia Urquiola tiles were used to wrap the kitchen walls and island bench, and the terracotta brick screen in the rumpus throws light into an otherwise land locked hall.

Unexpectedly, these elements are mixed tongue-in-cheek with country classics; louvered robe doors, meat safe mesh kitchen cupboards, rope wrapped handles, sandblasted oak vanities and concrete baths and basins.

Texture and layering were paramount in this interior.

And the hand of the artisan is felt throughout every inch of this home.

Project Details

Completion date – 2018

Project Team

Interior Design

Chelsea Hing Interior Design Studio

Established by Chelsea Hing in 2007, the studio is now one of the foremost residential interiors practices in Australia.

It’s celebrated for its fearless use of colour, with their work marked by soulful, expressive spaces, with a distinctly charismatic style.

www.chelseahing.com.au

Construction

Overend Constructions

Overend Constructions was formed by Chris Overend in 1978. Based in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, it began as a team of two and has grown into a group of some 18 highly qualified people. Its roots were in environmental alternative construction and design. This has informed its development into a sophisticated and highly sought after company.

www.overendconstructions.com.au

Photography

Sean Fennessy

Sean Fennessy is an Australian photographer based in Melbourne, but with strong ties to his home state of Tasmania. His fresh, minimal style and unique sense of observation has seen his work published internationally.

Some of Sean’s clients include Acne Studios, Belle Magazine, Beyond By Lexus, British Airways, Christies, Monocle, National Gallery of Victoria, QANTAS, Travel + Leisure, Virgin Australia, Vogue Living, and Winkreative.

www.seanfennessy.com.au