Weather House is a bespoke home for a young, nature-loving family on a quintessentially compact Northcote block. Our clients Claire and Brent cherished the character of their century-old worker's cottage but required more considered space and flexibility in their home. Claire and Brent are camping enthusiasts, and in response their house is a love letter to the outdoors: a rich, durable environment infused with the grounded ambience of being in nature. From the street, the dark cladding of the sensitive rear extension echoes the existing cottage!s roofline, becoming a subtle shadow of the original house in both form and tone. As you move through the home, the double-height extension invites the climate and native landscaping inside at every turn. The light-bathed lounge, dining room and kitchen are anchored around, and seamlessly connected to, a versatile outdoor living area. A double-sided fireplace embedded into the house’s rear wall brings warmth and ambience to the lounge, and inspires a campfire atmosphere in the back yard. Championing tactility and durability, the material palette features polished concrete floors, blackbutt timber joinery and concrete brick walls. Peach and sage tones are employed as accents throughout the lower level, and amplified upstairs where sage forms the tonal base for the moody main bedroom. An adjacent private deck creates an additional tether to the outdoors, and houses planters and trellises that will decorate the home’s exterior with greenery. From the tactile and textured finishes of the interior to the surrounding Australian native garden that you just want to touch, the house encapsulates the feeling of being part of the outdoors; like Claire and Brent are camping at home. It is a tribute to Mother Nature, Weather House’s muse.

the client decided to eliminate the bathtub and install a large shower with partial fixed shower glass instead of a shower door

Black and White bathroom with forest green vanity cabinets. Rustic modern shelving and floral wallpaper

Kat Alves-Photography

A family home planned over two levels with a large open-planned living area on the upper floor. The kitchen and dining area opens to a North facing terrace located on the street frontage, above the garage. The living space connects to the rear garden via a timber deck and wide stairs. A central stair with roof voids and planter beds brings light into the centre of the floor plan and aids in cross ventilation through the home. COMPLETED: JUN 18 / BUILDER: AVG CONSTRUCTIONS / PHOTOS: SIMON WHITBREAD PHOTOGRAPHY

This serene master bathroom design forms part of a master suite that is sure to make every day brighter. The large master bathroom includes a separate toilet compartment with a Toto toilet for added privacy, and is connected to the bedroom and the walk-in closet, all via pocket doors. The main part of the bathroom includes a luxurious freestanding Victoria + Albert bathtub situated near a large window with a Riobel chrome floor mounted tub spout. It also has a one-of-a-kind open shower with a cultured marble gray shower base, 12 x 24 polished Venatino wall tile with 1" chrome Schluter Systems strips used as a unique decorative accent. The shower includes a storage niche and shower bench, along with rainfall and handheld showerheads, and a sandblasted glass panel. Next to the shower is an Amba towel warmer. The bathroom cabinetry by Koch and Company incorporates two vanity cabinets and a floor to ceiling linen cabinet, all in a Fairway door style in charcoal blue, accented by Alno hardware crystal knobs and a super white granite eased edge countertop. The vanity area also includes undermount sinks with chrome faucets, Granby sconces, and Luna programmable lit mirrors. This bathroom design is sure to inspire you when getting ready for the day or provide the ultimate space to relax at the end of the day!

An Architect's bathroom added to the top floor of a beautiful home. Clean lines and cool colors are employed to create a perfect balance of soft and hard. Tile work and cabinetry provide great contrast and ground the space. Photographer: Dean Birinyi

Rustic and modern design elements complement one another in this 2,480 sq. ft. three bedroom, two and a half bath custom modern farmhouse. Abundant natural light and face nailed wide plank white pine floors carry throughout the entire home along with plenty of built-in storage, a stunning white kitchen, and cozy brick fireplace. Photos by Tessa Manning

His and her shower niches perfect for personal items. This niche is surround by a matte white 3x6 subway tile and features a black hexagon tile pattern on the inset.

View towards walk-in shower. This space used to be the original closet to the master bedroom.