West Bend House by MRTN Architects
Immersed in the landscape, West Bend House by MRTN Architects and Brave New Eco reveals itself as a sequence of discovery.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson I Photography: Peter Bennetts
The facade’s scale is in keeping with the 1853 stone house that was previously on site. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
‘One unique aspect of this project is a large family study in the central heart of the home with warm red brick floors. This is open-plan and makes sense with this high-output family whose work and personal lives are very intertwined,’ says Megan Norgate. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
‘The house is vibrant and warm. There are these lovely visual layers where you can see through spaces- for instance, from the stairs to the upstairs bedroom, across a courtyard and into the dining and kitchen,’ says Megan Norgate. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
The feature warm red brick floors. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
The open-plan interior is both cosy and modern.Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
Designed with the mantra of 'the home like a village on a hill', MRTN Architects and Brave New Eco collaborated on a family home in Melbourne's Northcote, engaging the surrounding nature as a key element of the brief.
Anthony Martin of MRNT Architects and Megan Norgate from Brave New Eco had previously worked together on a beach house for the clients—what ensued was a shared language and design shorthand.
'Anthony and I have both now completed multiple projects for this family,' says Megan. 'By now, the level of trust, respect and affection is so high that it is easy for us to all do our best work and for the clients to enjoy and trust in the process. We are all Kiwis and parents of teenagers, so there is that shared understanding and sensibility as well.'
With sustainability in mind, MRTN Architects demolished the 1960/70s poorly constructed house and reorientated the new home to the north, running along the eastern boundary of the long site. Further to this, they added heat pump in-slab heating, a battery backup solar system, and rainwater tanks, with solar passive orientation to maximise the sustainable performance of the fully electric home.
The final result is 'a sequence of buildings' that connect to the garden by Simone Bliss Landscape Architecture, following the contours of the site. Stepping up and down, wrapping around a sunken internal courtyard, a series of terraces eventually leads down to the pool and grassy verge with tree-top views over the reserve.
Salvaged bricks are used throughout, and recycled wood adds patina to the new build. The material palette offers durability throughout the' high traffic' areas of the home, blending interior and exterior spaces. However, in the more intimate rooms, the designers turned to softer textures highlighting the distinction between public and private.
Salvaged bricks are used throughout, and recycled wood adds patina to the new build. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
Garden views from a cleverly positioned window seat. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
Wide windows provide ample natural light to the open plan living space. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
The north-facing outdoor courtyard. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
The study space echoes features applied throughout the interior. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
“The clients have a big appetite for colour for texture, colour and diversity, so the flooring materials change throughout the house, and there is a mix of timbers and cabinet surfaces.”
‘A key problem was the differentiation of room spaces within an open-plan design, which was resolved by introducing textural relationships that softened the designs,’ says the home owners. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
‘The selection of tiles is the standout for us, and we love living here more and more,’ says the home owners. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
A navy-themed bathroom complements the warm, terracotta tones throughout the home. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
“The acute attention to detail and sensitivity to our needs within the design process is what we enjoyed the most working with Brave New Eco.”
West Bend House is believed to be the oldest house in Northcote. Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
Quiet sun lit spaces to soak it all in! Photo: Peter Bennetts. Styling: Studio Georg
For the interiors, Brave New Eco wanted to celebrate MRTN's architectural features through robust materiality and big colour. Custom joinery throughout the home separates but doesn't divide. A built-in record holder offers a distinction from the kitchen to the living room; timber panelling on the ceiling highlights the shift of space from the kitchen to dining; and the bookcases, to create a mixed use, study/reading room that opens to the internal terrace.
'The joinery was designed to be furniture quality and is a mix of spotted gum hardwoods and veneers, powder-coated steel, brass mesh and Forbo Marmoleum cabinet fronts,' says Megan. 'The soft, hard, and woven textures of these make the joinery at times solid and other times open and light. This is important in large open-plan spaces so that joinery elements don't feel monolithic.'
Each room uses a different colour palette that ties into a central aesthetic. 'The house looks like a lot of timber and terracotta; however, on closer inspection, it is filled with deep teal carpets, rose curtains, soft purples, blues and what Ant calls "school uniform" maroon. These tonal choices differentiate socially active spaces from quiet and reflective areas,' says Megan.
West Bend House is a family home full of life; the architecture, interior design, and landscape are just the backdrop to creativity. As Megan concludes, 'There is very little unoccupied space without art, functional joinery or furniture — every nook articulated for a use, to be fully engaged with, rather than just nice to look out at or occasionally venture into.'