Immersive Retreat – Coolatai House by Cera Stribley

Offering a peaceful immersion in nature, Coolatai House is inserted as a conscious and refined retreat, with extensive glazing that frames views and connects the interior with the natural elements. Cera Stribley proposes a simple, robust and low-maintenance design that eliminates the need for additional up-keep, allowing the owners to immerse themselves with ease.

Surrounded by a dense native buffering, Coolatai House has an enviable position, perched on established bushlands. With views out to the distant water, the residence integrates a series of open and closed spaces throughout that encourage ease of movement between inside and out, further immersing inhabitants amid the elements. The impressive yet modest home is located along Wye River Bay, along the famed Great Ocean Road in Victoria, and is designed as a weekender for the owners. Cera Stribley worked with the client to ensure interior spaces were functional – open and generous when entertaining guests and intimate and private when seeking to withdraw.

With views out to the distant water, the residence integrates a series of open and closed spaces throughout that encourage ease of movement between inside and out, further immersing inhabitants amid the elements.

Despite the common complexities associated with building in such a remote area, the resulting home becomes a structure of considered and well-resolved decisions. Wanting an abode that is low-maintenance and effortlessly connects to nature, the owners prefaced a need for “accessibility for the future” in the building’s design with “an industrial aesthetic, versatile indoor and outdoor cooking spaces, timeless design and the possibility of open or gas fire.”

The result is a three-bedroom house that balances urban comfort with a sense of openness, visually connecting to the surrounds. Thanks to a thin framework and contained silhouette, the home nestles into the landscape. The architect manipulates the form to provide protective shelter for the outdoor areas, which, in turn, allows one to truly engage and be in constant dialogue with nature. Materials such as metal, stainless steel and timber, as well as a dark palette, also reinforce the dwelling’s durable character.

The architect manipulates the form to provide protective shelter for the outdoor areas, which, in turn, allows one to truly engage and be in constant dialogue with nature.

Coolatai House takes full advantage of the site in allowing the owners a place to rest, recharge and connect with the outdoors. The way in which the form integrates itself into the landscape and matches the surrounding tranquillity is a feat Cera Stribley has skilfully achieved with ease.