Refined Balance – Eringa Farm House by Genworth Group, Swee Design and The Black Rabbit
Taking cues from its casual and laidback surrounds, Eringa Farm House combines a contemporary crispness with familiar rural references. As a combined effort between Genworth Group, Swee Design and The Black Rabbit, the resulting home openly drinks in the natural landscape while layering richness and a refined balance internally.
Set amongst the climatically cool Adelaide Hills region, Eringa Farm House draws on its removed remoteness in combining the casual with the refined. Opening generously to the expansive and natural surrounds of the home, large glazed apertures and openings invite a visual connection to place, while reinforcing a non-urban understanding with a fitting design approach and underlying philosophies. The the rigour and contemporary nature of the proposal sit in contrast to the locale, yet a natural and texturally diverse materiality and palette ensure an anchoring to context and the site. Designed and delivered in collaboration, Genworth Group, Swee Design and The Black Rabbit bring the vision to fruition as a collective through a thoughtful and enduring lens.
While the area sits not far from the city of Adelaide, its lofted elevation and immersion within such a natural and untampered landscape allows for a true sense of disconnect and calm. Extending from this and in celebration of the separation, a modern farm house form is proposed to sit in harmony with the surrounds. The combination of rugged and honest stone walls and the extensive use of timber encourage a natural ageing process and an interaction with the elements. Clean lines and a linear methodology then offer a welcomed counterbalance, elevating the traditional rural home and infusing a familiar urban convenience. The proposal seeks to be an interplay of contrasts, while responding with sensitivity and appropriateness of form.
Home to a growing family, an embedded robustness ensures an ease of crossover from country to family life, while confirming the comfort of shelter and familiarity of home. Expressed throughout are the personalities of its owners through the selection of layered elements. Furniture, lighting, sculptural objects, accessories and artwork all tell the collective story of those who live here, through their collected and newly acquired treasures. Spread over five-bedrooms, the home is further broken down into more intimate zones for retreat and then open gathering zones for the family to convene and entertain. A defining element throughout is the consistent reminder of place, reinforced through openings that connect to the surrounds.
Eringa Farm House combines contrast and openness to aptly navigate its setting. Genworth Group, Swee Design and The Black Rabbit all draw on the existing to compose a home of lasting relevance.
