FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
Set on a ridge in the australian countryside, this hardy home achieves a balance between modern luxury and off-the-grid living
Luxury living in a chic Australian country barn
The hill Plains home of architect Jerry Wolveridge sits upon the brow of a ridge not far from the picturesque gold rush town of Kyneton, australia, a region also famous for its wineries and vineyards. The house itself looks across a gentle landscape, which is almost english in feel during the green spring season before the summer sun starts to bleach the countryside. Mount Macedon lies off in the distance, while eagles, cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets enjoy the quiet of this rural setting, about an hour’s drive north of Melbourne, where Jerry’s architectural practice is based.
The site was first discovered by two of Jerry’s clients, who would go on to change their minds during the process, commissioning a beach house instead. despite knowing little about the area, he was hooked by the location and offered to buy the land. ‘I’ve always liked the idea of doing an off-the-grid house,’ he says.
given the contours of the land and the woodland around the approach road, the house only reveals itself once you draw into the driveway and begin to make your
way towards it, just as the open vista of the gently undulating countryside also comes into sight. The single-storey building draws inspiration from the region’s farmhouses and agricultural barns, although the outline and form are distinctly contemporary.
The exterior of the house is made of recycled blackbutt timber, pierced by large picture windows. a front porch is partially clad in a nonreflective, smoked charcoal glass, which is repeated on the protruding shower block at the back of the house, complete with a large window that frames a view of a landmark spotted gum tree. The exterior shell and basic layout of the house came first, and only then did Jerry and his wife turn their attention to the interiors. ‘We built the house ourselves over the course of a year,’ he says. ‘But all we had for the inside was a line of service spaces down the middle of the house and some basic principles.’
The interiors evolved more gradually, with a number of contributions from Jerry’s wife, Christina Theodorou, who is
‘I’ve always liked the Idea of doing an off-the-grid house’ Jerry wolveridge
‘it was quite a bit of work and we didn’t really know what we were going to do until the last minute’
also an architect. at the centre of the house sits an open-plan living area and kitchen, with banks of floor-to-ceiling windows. Floors are in polished concrete and the high ceilings are in blackbutt. Many of the elements here were custom designed, including the rustic kitchen island and the dramatic, textured wall on one side of the living room, which was crafted from a vast collection of timber blocks and now holds the fireplace and disguises the galley study beyond. ‘There are about 1 680 pieces of recycled bearers in all. We saw them sitting out in the back of the yard,’ Jerry explains of his happy-go-lucky design process. ‘We used a drop saw and went through several loads of timber. It was quite a bit of work and we didn’t really know what we were going to do until the last minute.’
Jerry also designed the leather sofas and coffee table, while the dining table was bought in Melbourne and the chairs were discovered on a trip to sri Lanka, where they once graced the office
of legendary 20th-century architect geoffrey Bawa. Beyond the fireplace wall, there are two bedrooms: one for the children and the other doubling as a guest bedroom and playroom.
The master suite sits at the opposite end of the house, with a combined bedroom and bathroom featuring a sculpted bath.
The service spine at the centre of the house contains the shower room plus a utility space, complete with a wood-burning stove that is used to heat up the radiators in winter. Being completely off the grid, the house also has its own water source, solar-heated hot water and a back-up generator.
Together with his father, Jerry worked on the landscaping around the house, reshaping the nearby dam and planting around 700 trees, including native eucalyptus, plus an array of maples and fruit trees. he also created an outdoor dining area and lounge at the back of the house, which is sheltered from the breezes that sometimes lick the brow of the hill.
It is an extraordinary, escapist setting for the whole family, with Jerry happy to commute to the office in Melbourne early in the morning for part of the week. ‘It is so pleasant up here that sometimes I don’t want to get in the car,’ he laughs. ‘You really don’t want to leave.’