A Midcentury-Inspired Retreat Embraces the Landscape on a Tiny Australian Island
Derive Architecture and Design creates a hardwood- and copper-clad getaway that respects its forested site on the remote Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea.
It’s not easy to build a vacation rental on a remote island. It’s even trickier when that remote island is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But the team at Derive Architecture and Design rose to the challenge when the Newcastle, New South Wales, firm was approached about developing a property for a client on Lord Howe Island, a crescent-shaped volcanic remnant located roughly 370 miles off Australia’s eastern seaboard.
Sited on a lush lot on the remote Lord Howe Island, the family-owned Island House comprises two midcentury-inspired rentals that can accommodate up to eight guests total.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
"Our practice is known for projects designed in sensitive contexts," says Jason Elsley, the firm’s director. And Lord Howe Island is certainly that: With roughly 382 permanent residents, only 400 visitors are allowed to visit the island—located about a two-hour flight from Sydney—at once. "We just needed to manage the development in a really sensitive way," Elsley adds.
To guide the careful placement of each new structure, surveyors mapped the site’s significant vegetation, including the Kentia palms, which are endemic to Lord Howe Island.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
The clients, who have a longstanding family association with the island and have owned the property for decades, understood and respected this need for sensitivity. "It was almost the reverse of what we’re typically used to with development projects," says Elsley, noting that the owners decreased the number of rentals on the property from three cottages to two—with room for eight guests total—in order to reduce environmental impact.
Australian firm Derive Architecture and Design utilized enduring materials for the rental units, such as hardwood and copper. The oak-lined interiors further reflect the surrounding site.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
Both units, dubbed the North House and the South House, are surrounded by centuries-old banyan trees, as well as Kentia palms, which are endemic to Lord Howe Island. Surveyors mapped the site’s significant vegetation to guide the careful placement of each structure. Elevated platforms extend from each unit, allowing the buildings to float above the landscape and beneath a canopy of greenery. This gives the homes what Elsley calls a "cloistered and protected forest context" just steps away from the ocean.
A 60-work installation by Danish artist Tine Holscher sits above a curated collection of books in the living room of the South House. A yellow painting by Aboriginal artist Regina Pilawuk Wilson hangs above the stairs to the one of the bedrooms.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
The material choices were also made with environmental impact and longevity at the forefront. The timber and copper used for the exteriors were purposefully selected to age over time. "They’re low-maintenance but intended to mellow through the years," says Elsley.
The timber-clad kitchen has large sliding doors that open to a private deck. The quirky, orange island was inspired by a standing sculpture designed by Danish artist Ib Geertsen located elsewhere in the South House.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
The interiors were intended to feel like "one piece of cabinet," says Elsley.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
One bedroom features tall windows and skylights that let in sunshine and the incredible night sky. An adjoining deck has an outdoor copper bath surrounded by a wall of palms.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
The other bedroom looks onto a large courtyard with a sunken outdoor seating area. "The buildings pay homage to midcentury design principles and depart from traditional beach house typologies to focus on emphasizing the site’s remote and ephemeral qualities," says Elsley.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
Inside, both of the Island House units are decorated with a curated collection of books, art, and midcentury furniture sourced primarily from Denmark, including vintage pieces by Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, and Poul Kjearholm. The rentals also feature fully equipped kitchens, cozy living rooms with Cheminee fireplaces, and large decks with outdoor seating areas—as well as copper bathtubs that overlook the forest.
A communal structural dubbed the Transit Room sits in between the North House and South House, connected by terraced landscape pockets and courtyards.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
The timber-lined Transit Room is designed as a multipurpose, shared space that can be reconfigured for meetings, massages, meditations, or happy hour.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
Between the North House and South House, a timber-lined structure called the Transit Room serves as a flexible gathering space for up to eight people. Another pod located between the South House and the Transit Room stores a range of high-quality outdoor equipment that guests can enjoy, including custom-shaped surfboards by Kai Fitzgerald.
In the North House, the living room features a cast-iron Cheminee fireplace that sits across from a cozy Eilersen sofa. Sliding glass doors open the space to a large timber deck facing the forest.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
The artwork is rotated out regularly in the North House.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
Oak cabinets and flooring bring additional woodsy warmth to the interior.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
While the South House features stainless-steel kitchen counters, the North House ’s cooking area has Corian countertops. "We changed materials for each to give them a different identity," says Elsley. Both kitchens are equipped with professional-grade appliances, with the option for guests to contract a personal chef for meals.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
Despite all the impressive amenities, for Elsley, it’s the natural light that filters through the trees and into the guesthouses that makes a stay at the Island House worth it all. "The light here is beautiful, gentle, and quite crisp," says Elsley. "The way it filters through the plants and trees gives a particular experience."
Both bedrooms in the North House open to decks and garden courtyards on either end. A colorful painting by Indigenous artist Katjara Butler, who was born in the Northern Territory, hangs above a bed in one of the rooms.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
An outdoor copper tub offers a place to soak while taking in the forest view.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
In the North House, marble envelopes the en suite bathrooms as a nod to the owner’s bathing experiences in Japan and Europe. "He wanted to pass that experience onto his visitors," says Elsley. "It’s a scoured marble, not just high-finish, so it looks and feels like a sculpture."
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
A fully stocked bar awaits guests with a collection of Australian and Japanese spirits, as well as wines, prebatched cocktails, and beer.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
The copper- and timber-clad exteriors will weather beautifully over the years to come.
Photo by Alexander McIntyre
Island House is available for rent for whole-site bookings (or individual houses upon request). Prices are available upon inquiry.
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Project Credits:
Architect of Record: Jason Elsley, Derive Architecture and Design / @derivearchitecture
Builder/General Contractor: Guess Developments / @guessdevelopments
Structural and Civil Engineer: Skelton Consulting Engineers
Interior Design: Derive Architecture and Design / @derivearchitecture
Cabinetry Design: Derive Architecture and Design / @derivearchitecture
Cabinetry Installation: Urban Joinery / @urbanjoinery
Photography: Alexander McIntyre / @alexmcintyre_photography
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