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Casa Avalon by StudioMODA
Designed as a farmstay to enjoy life’s simple pleasures, Casa Avalon embraces a restrained sensibility, drawing focus to the serenity of Byron Shire’s rolling hills and coastline.
Tasked with designing a rural escape for the property’s Sydney-dwelling clients and visiting guests, StudioMODA drew inspiration from the Northern Rivers’ agricultural land dotted with homesteads. Casa Avalon thoughtfully reinterprets these agrarian references through a contemporary lens, delivering a raw yet minimalist dwelling, “a simple composition of two volumes in two principal materials,” describes Tyler Gwyther, director of StudioMODA. The studio’s reductive approach crafts a quiet haven for those seeking refuge – a chance to unwind and connect with the beauty of Myocum’s lush hinterland, subtropical rainforest and coast.
Perched halfway up the hill, the home’s traditional gabled silhouette reflects a sense of pastoral nostalgia, reinterpreted by StudioMODA with a restrained hand. Stained Australian spotted gum cladding by Modinex embeds the architecture into the location, its “dark, moody presence synchronising with the shadows of the trees,” says Gwyther. The timber finds contrast in a weighty masonry wall along the northern edge, which integrates the chimney into a singular architectural gesture and anchors the house with a sense of permanence. Solid timber hatches with removable screens replace conventional windows throughout, framing captivating vignettes of the surrounding landscape. “When the house is closed down, the simplicity of its unified form reads as a timber artefact quietly receding into the hilltop,” says Gwyther, expressing StudioMODA’s commitment to preserving the land’s natural integrity.
Approaching the home through a pebbled forecourt fringed with native landscaping, a Dutch entry door draws visitors inside. Two distinct zones – living and sleeping – divide the 86-square-metre footprint, neatly distinguished by a change in volume. A lofty, raked ceiling draws light into the living space, flanked by open apertures to the lush surrounds. A timber hatch centred over the kitchen frames sunsets views over the hills, while a broad sliding door – the only glazed component in the project – captures sightlines across the eastern coastline with glimpses to the Pacific Ocean. This wide aperture opens the home to a generous deck, a captivating interface between the interior and land. To the south, the sleeping quarters host a main bedroom, bunkroom and bathroom, with lowered ceilings lending intimacy and warmth.
While the house’s exterior is characterised by rawness and depth, “the interior endeavours to emphasise the lightness of being,” says Gwyther. Crisp white walls and pale timber floors invite sunshine to dance across surfaces, connecting occupants with ephemeral light patterns and regulating circadian rhythms, while harmonious accent materials offer moments of heightened intrigue. Blush-toned microcement saturates the bathroom, its textural finish enveloping wall, shower and basin surfaces to offer an immersive, luxurious bathing ritual. Meanwhile, a fine stainless-steel kitchen celebrates the daily ceremony of preparing, cooking and sharing food, blending functionality with elegance. A modest brick fireplace draws the chimney material into the interior, forming a natural gathering point around which to socialise, relax and dwell.
The home’s adjustable apertures “transform the dwelling into a canvas for nature’s artwork,” says Gwyther. “On a warm summer’s day, the hatches can be pinned back to welcome cool ocean breezes, while winter evenings invite cosy gatherings around the fireplace with the house closed down.” Like the views, the home’s neutral spirit offers a backdrop to the client’s unique assemblage of furniture, objects and art. Antique timber furniture, locally sourced artisan pieces and vintage finds, thoughtfully curated by client and stylist Carina Hicks, strike a delicate balance between the made and found. “It’s incredibly satisfying to see the project come to life internally, especially in such a way that complements the architecture’s casual ease,” reflects Gwyther.
Indeed, the strength of Casa Avalon lies in its simplicity, shaping the home’s aesthetic and experiential outcomes while offering significant environmental merit. StudioMODA’s reductive design lessened material usage and waste, required fewer trades on site and reduced transport emissions and costs. Anchored by only two pieces of fixed joinery – the kitchen and hallway cabinetry – the house flexibly supports diverse uses and evolving needs, mitigating future alterations and additions. “Low-cost, low-impact housing is an underestimated sustainability measure,” says Gwyther. “Creating a compact and simplified response adds to our belief that ‘less is more’.”
This sentiment is supported by passive solar principles and sustainable resource management systems, which work to significantly minimise Casa Avalon’s ongoing operational costs. Namely, a robust water harvesting system, comprising two large rainwater tanks and a bore water supply, efficiently meets the property’s water needs, and an 11-kilowatt solar array powers the home and feeds surplus energy back into the grid. Services, along with a compact laundry, are discreetly located behind weathered steel doors in the northern brick façade – a thoughtful design gesture that reduces visual clutter, ensures easy access for operational use and maintenance, and bolsters the property’s barn-like appearance.
Casa Avalon provides a stepping stone to life in Myocum, highlighting the landscape’s rugged beauty and serenity. “More and more, I’m interested in simplifying projects to their purest form to deliver high-impact work that speaks to its surroundings,” says Gwyther. With its minimalist articulation, Casa Avalon encapsulates this pursuit with grace. Relaxed yet refined, the property offers a humble yet carefully resolved home – a poetic response to place that celebrates daily life.
Architecture by StudioMODA. Interior design by Carina Hicks. Build by Forty Four Constructions. Joinery by Woodrabbit Kitchens.
