Dramatic reveal

DESKTOP

MOBILE

Designed by: Caleb Skene, lead designer, MC Architecture Studio

Photography by: Peanutproductions

From the designer:

This waterfront residence was designed to seamlessly reflect its natural surroundings while fulfilling the owner’s brief for two bedrooms, an office, a self-contained artist studio, a two-car garage with a workshop, open-plan living, and multiple outdoor living areas.

The design connects with the waterfront, harnesses northern sunlight and provides shelter from prevailing easterly winds, all while ensuring privacy from the street front.

A key aspect of the design is the use of natural materials to ground the house within the estuary’s rocky landscape.

Cladding echoes shoreline

Neolith stone tile was chosen as a primary cladding material to mirror the shoreline, forming two main prominent stone tile walls that erupt from the ground like pre-historic slabs.

“These monolithic walls metaphorically support and contrast the lightweight forms of the house and garage, which appear to be suspended out from them,” says Caleb Skene, lead designer, MC Architecture Studio.

The residence itself – a glass box for the living quarters and a timber-framed box for the sleeping quarters – hovers delicately behind these ‘ancient’ stone tile walls.

These towering tile walls establish a sense of passive security, with their solid, dark presence creating a subconscious boundary between public and private spaces.

Their angular layout enhances privacy, effectively screening the house from street views and subtly discouraging pedestrians from encroaching on the property.

The path with timber steps is narrow prior to opening out to embrace the sea view with the entry down the path at right. Stonme cladding is shown in detail. — Visitors invited onto the property pass through a narrowing corridor and ascend stairs leading to a ‘pinch point’ before the stone tile wall ‘swings’ open like a door.

To emphasise the connection to the waterfront, both tile walls are angled to guide a visitor’s gaze toward a narrow 100mm-wide sliver of a view, initially offering only a limited perspective.

Architecture creates grand reveal of waterfront

Visitors invited onto the property pass through a narrowing corridor and ascend stairs leading to a ‘pinch point’ before the stone tile wall ‘swings’ open like a door.

This gesture reveals expansive views of the waterfront, allowing visitors to be fully immersed in the landscape, with additional views through the glass-walled living area, where large sliding doors open to embrace the surrounding environment.

The glass box, framed by steel, appears to be suspended from the tile, symbolising the transition from private to open.

The steel portals extend beyond the building, acting as architectural elements that reach toward the standalone stone tile wall, reinforcing the connection between interior and exterior, and emphasising the metaphorical opening/shifting of the stone tile walls for residential use to take place.

Living room with water views and meandering entry path through sliding doors at left. — Living room with water views and meandering entry path at left.

In addition to its visual impact, the design addresses privacy and views for both the homeowners and their neighbours.

The standalone stone tile wall in the upper garden provides privacy for the occupants while offering the neighbours a pleasant backdrop of the garden and waterfront views.

Two distinct outdoor living spaces

Outdoor living is divided into two distinct areas, including a northern terrace that steps down toward the shoreline from the internal living area.

This space creates informal seating and a direct, unobstructed connection to the water.

A boardwalk/jetty extends from the main entrance, overhanging the rock shore and reflecting the nautical character of the site.

This approach ensures a harmonious relationship between the home, the waterfront, and the surrounding environment.

The home's private stone and wood cladding and garage to the street with entry pathway at left — The home’s private face to the street with entry pathway at left

Find more design ideas and inspiration at trendsideas.com

Credit List

Designer Caleb Skene, lead designer, MC Architecture Studio	Co-designer, architect Max Capocaccia, MC Architecture Studio
Builder Parsons Construction	Kitchen designer Detail by Davinia Sutton
Landscape Melissa Skene	Cladding Herman Pacific Cedar Vertical Shiplap and Neolith Krater Sintered Stone
Roof Nuralite 3PM Bituminous waterproofing membrane	Window/door joinery Metro Series Aluminium Window and Door Joinery
Main flooring Timber – Country, Half Graphite, from Nextdore Interiors	Bedroom flooring Carpet – Cavalier Bremworth Galet, Skarn, from from Nextdore Interiors
Bathroom tiles Ensuite – Durango Bone (600x600mm); Ice Minnesota Moka (450x1200mm); main bathroom – Capri Bone (450x1200mm); studio bathroom – Lexington Maple (450x1200mm); Dalston Blanco, matt (600 x 600mm)	Wallcoverings Powder room wallpaper – Borastapeter Sapphire Birds
Paint Walls – Resene Half Rice Cake; doors, skirtings, and ceiling – Resene Alabaster	General heating Ducted heating system – Gavin Lowe
Feature light fittings Above dining table, in master bedroom ensuite – Tom Dixon 'Melts'	Dining table/chairs Dining table – BoConcept Granada extendable round dining table; dining chairs – BoConcept Adelaide dining chair with swivel function
Awards Trends International Design Awards (TIDA) Homes – Highly Commended

From the designer:

The design connects with the waterfront, harnesses northern sunlight and provides shelter from prevailing easterly winds, all while ensuring privacy from the street front.

A key aspect of the design is the use of natural materials to ground the house within the estuary’s rocky landscape.