After many years of living in a 1970s house it was time for a change. And while the new location for this home Toolern Vale is fairly spartan grassland, it provided an opportunity for RN+S to build a new house on 60 hectares.

The owners, a couple with adult families who regularly come to visit, were fairly succinct when it came to their brief; they required a number of bedrooms, specific details regarding the design of the kitchen as the owner loves to cook and entertain, and a large detached garage/shed for a collection of vintage cars. The brief also included a separate accommodation wing that could be closed off from the rest of the house when not being used.

Before any schematics were created, RN+ S carefully studied the landscape and important views, and also how their clients used their previous home. It was clear a large alfresco entertaining area would be required in the new home which connected seamlessly to the interior.  And although the design had to accommodate family staying over, an overly large house wasn’t needed (240 square metres in total excluding the garage).

Constructed in a combination of rammed earth, Shou Sugi Ban (charred timber), concrete (polished floors) steel details and glass, the Toolern Vale house displays RN+s preference for exploring natural lasting finishes.

Pivotal to the design is the open plan kitchen, dining and living area at the core of the floorplan, with an unusual elliptical-shaped guest powder room ‘piercing’ the glass walls. Clad in Japanese tiles, it’s both a functional and sculptural ‘object’ that reveals a luscious olive- green tiled interior. In contrast to the meditative quality of the powder room, the kitchen/dining area benefits from highlight angular windows that frame established gum trees on the property and which flood the zone with daylight.

Toolern Vale House is an exercise in duality, of spaciousness and intimacy where the boundaries between inside and outside are fluid. It offers a subtle, considered response to its environment and ensures deep connection to it both in external appearance and the experience of those who call it home.

Date of Completion: 2023
Location: Toolern Vale