Houzz Tour: A Weekend Retreat and Future Forever Home
A 1920s beach cottage is transformed into a modern, eclectic home to accommodate immediate and extended family
Lorraine and Chris Riches have loved Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula since moving from London to Australia. Based in Melbourne, Lorraine and Chris’ first holiday house was in Rye. Now they’ve built a weekender in nearby Shoreham that will one day become their forever home. The couple discovered the 1920s beach cottage (in a state of disrepair) on a Sunday drive. They engaged Bryant Alsop Architects to update and extend the house so it could comfortably accommodate up to three generations: Lorraine and Chris, their three adult children and grandchildren.
The Riches wanted their house to be zoned for themselves as a couple, while also being able to accommodate their immediate and extended family at different times. The three adjoining pods house the garage at the front; kitchen and living area in the middle; and the master suite at the rear. The existing cottage has a dining room, two bedrooms, a living room (or additional bedroom) and an art studio for their daughter, Tilly. The original house can be closed off from the new addition to create a self-contained space, while also making the extension feel more intimate.
The entrance is located between the original house and the garage where it creates a break between the old and new buildings, while the timber decking links the two. The garage has a pitched roof to complement the form and height of the cottage.
A verandah wraps around the rear of the existing cottage, and the pods step down the natural topography of the site. Like the garage, they have pitched roofs to echo the profile of the original building.
The Bushfire Management Overlay on the property impacted the new addition and material selection. “Our initial approach was to use timber throughout in a contemporary way that spoke to the earlier building on the site,” says Bryant. “However, Bushfire Attack Level requirements would not allow this, so we used an external cladding, Weathertex, to echo this feeling.” Timber is still used internally, and the dark exterior colour unifies the old and new.
“Lorraine had a clear idea of what she liked, and the old cottage fed into her aesthetic of vintage, slightly industrial, and an eclectic mix of art and furniture,” says Bryant. These aesthetics come together at the home’s entrance where exposed trusses, reclaimed timber furniture, wicker pendants and an artwork by the couple’s daughter, Tilly, can be seen.
The kitchen is at the heart of the floor plan. Lorraine and Chris enjoy cooking and wanted a clean, simple and functional kitchen. The galley-style layout with a large kitchen island means the space can easily accommodate a group.
Large glass doors open the kitchen to the verandah, and the deep palette complements the exterior cladding.
Two-pack polyurethane kitchen joinery with satin finish in Dulux’s Domino; Fresh Concrete benchtop: Caesarstone; wicker pendant: HK Living
Two-pack polyurethane kitchen joinery with satin finish in Dulux’s Domino; Fresh Concrete benchtop: Caesarstone; wicker pendant: HK Living
As steps lead down to the living room, the ceiling also rises to create a lofty and open space. Solid timber trusses highlight the pitch of the roof and create a rustic, industrial feel.
“This is the largest space, but we didn’t want it to feel boxy or too vast,” says Bryant. “By exposing the timber trusses, the large volume feels more comfortable, and the timber introduces texture and warmth.”
“This is the largest space, but we didn’t want it to feel boxy or too vast,” says Bryant. “By exposing the timber trusses, the large volume feels more comfortable, and the timber introduces texture and warmth.”
The split-level echoes the slope of the site and visually separates the kitchen and living room, as does the double-sided fireplace. Terrazzo tiles create a hearth around the fireplace and mark the top of the stairs.
Terrazzo tiles: Signorino; fireplace: Cheminees
Terrazzo tiles: Signorino; fireplace: Cheminees
Beyond the living room, the third pod accommodates Lorraine and Chris’ bedroom and ensuite.
Opening to the northeast, the bedroom has bush views and a private deck that catches the morning sun.
“The bedroom didn’t need to be large, but rather a private sanctuary connected to the site,” says Bryant. Chris and Lorraine had the timber bedhead and bench custom-made by local furniture maker Greg Hatton.
The couple’s ensuite is also open yet private and connected to the landscape. “The bathtub sits next to a full-height window to allow the owners to feel connected to the bushland beyond,” says Bryant.
Silestone Cemento benchtop with suede finish: Cosentino; Nature Series porcelain floor tiles: Academy Tiles; Aqua Plus Form Acrylic Cube Bath: e&s; wooden beaded chandelier basket: Fenton & Fenton
Silestone Cemento benchtop with suede finish: Cosentino; Nature Series porcelain floor tiles: Academy Tiles; Aqua Plus Form Acrylic Cube Bath: e&s; wooden beaded chandelier basket: Fenton & Fenton
The dining room is in the original cottage where the stone hearth of the former kitchen is still visible. “The owners had a wonderful reclaimed table previously utilised in a school art room,” says Bryant. “This had the perfect proportion to work in the long, narrow space and allow a large group to get together.”
Zetland enamelled iron dish pendant: Zaffero; black and white artwork (on left): Tilly Riches; painting on right: Jackson Digby
Zetland enamelled iron dish pendant: Zaffero; black and white artwork (on left): Tilly Riches; painting on right: Jackson Digby
Both the dining room and the kitchen open to the verandah, which offers a view down the length of the property to the garden, bush and bay beyond. The family uses it as another space to relax and gather.
The verandah wraps around the side of the building to Tilly’s art studio. “At some point it was closed in and its natural light and position allow it to work well as an art studio,” says Bryant. “It’s a lovely nod to the history and various stages and additions in the past life of the house.”
The guest bathroom has a smart and eclectic look with subway tiles, an original textured-glass window, vintage-style pendant light and contemporary fittings.
“It’s wonderful to see a tired building reborn, and a new family with future generations making memories here,” says Bryant. “The house echoes our clients’ style, and the design is a wonderful example of brief, site, heritage, and aesthetic needs being met through a collaborative approach between client, architect and builder.”
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Missed last week’s Houzz Tour? Read about the small Parisian studio with luxurious details
“It’s wonderful to see a tired building reborn, and a new family with future generations making memories here,” says Bryant. “The house echoes our clients’ style, and the design is a wonderful example of brief, site, heritage, and aesthetic needs being met through a collaborative approach between client, architect and builder.”
Tell us
What do you love most about this home? Share your thoughts in the Comments, save the images, like this story, and join the conversation.
More
Missed last week’s Houzz Tour? Read about the small Parisian studio with luxurious details
Who lives here: Lorraine and Chris Riches and their three adult children spend weekends and holidays here
Location: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
Size: 230 square metres, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an art studio
Architect: Bryant Alsop Architects
“Although Lorraine and Chris were clear in wanting a contemporary addition, it needed to sit comfortably alongside the old cottage that was in very poor condition when they purchased it,” says architect Sarah Bryant.
To complement the cottage typology, the architect looked at creating smaller areas rather than a large singular space. “It was far more successful to work with a series of smaller forms that broke down the massing of the proposed building,” says Bryant. The design team therefore created three pods positioned to one side of the existing cottage. The pods step down the site and create a zoned floor plan to meet the clients’ brief.