Lookout House
Crump played with the traditional gable roof form common to Australian farmhouses and transformed it into something entirely modern. The house’s three distinct ridgelines follow each other in succession, their simple contours conjuring a cartoon lightning bolt. The wood cladding covering the exterior also lends the house an impenetrable feel, heightening the surprise visitors experience upon entering and seeing its open, seaside views.
Constructing a largely timber house in a bush fire-prone landscape wasn’t easy. “We had to negotiate with the council and building surveyor,” Crump explains. To solve the challenge, the architect designed an outer, protective skin for the home that’s clad with metal; it pushes beyond the building envelope to provide covering for outdoor living spaces. The inset walls are lined with local shiplap Celery Top Pine.
The architect incorporated a central courtyard in the house, an unusual but intelligent design response for the region with a temperate climate. “The house sets up an interesting tension between two established [courtyard and farmhouse] typologies,” Crump explains.
The home’s dramatic ceiling defines its interior, inviting a more understated approach to décor. Natural wool blend carpets help delineate boundaries in the open-plan space while softening the industrial appearance of the polished concrete floor in the kitchen, bathrooms, and entryway.
The dining room is delineated from the kitchen by a long kitchen island with a higher partition between the two spaces. The island provides storage along its length, with exposed shelving at the ends. The drum lighting pendants by Axiom were also made using local timber.
A Shaker-inspired rocking chair by Hans Wegner exudes country charm in the corner of the living room.