Gruyere Farm
Among the rolling vineyards of Victoria’s Yarra Valley, time slows to a whisper, revealing a home that lets go of the city’s restless hum. At Gruyere Farm, nearly 40 hectares of bushland, vineyards and grazing Angus cattle set the stage for a story of quiet renewal.
Originally designed by John Pizzey in 1986, the home has been tenderly reawakened with a contemporary sensibility – one that honours its roots while embracing the present, carrying echoes of Alistair Knox, Glenn Murcutt, Harry Seidler and John Wardle in its grounded, timeless spirit. The renovation, led by interior decorator Simone Haag in collaboration with Manifold, was approached with quiet reverence. “The house had amazing bones and incredible proportions,” recalls Lachlan Cooper of Manifold. “It just felt very unloved and not fit for modern living, with aspects such as the single glazing, water leakage and no insulation. The house really needed somebody like this couple and their family to buy it and give it that love and warmth – and that’s what we worked on doing for them.”
Much of the intervention was imperceptible yet essential: double glazing, hydronic heating and new door and window hardware – improvements that ensure comfort without disturbing the home’s integrity. “Some aspects were quite invisible in the upgrade,” adds Cooper, “but everything was about making it warm and comfortable.”
Inside, slate floors, timber walls and expansive glazing frame the landscape, while soft light drifts across textured surfaces, blurring the boundaries between indoors and out. “One thing about this client,” says Haag, “is that they weren’t the kind who had Pinterest boards or briefing notes. They’ve renovated many houses both in Australia and overseas – they really know how to trust a consultant. The home has a slight American mountain house vibe, but it wasn’t a conscious decision; it just emerged naturally from the pieces and elements we found for it.”
That intuitive spirit carries through the interiors where recycled timbers, terrazzo, raw brass and ceramics echo the rugged beauty outside. The palette – fallow, fawn and green – mirrors the surrounding hills. “One of the main spaces we really went for in terms of colour was the conservatory,” says Morgan Novy of Manifold. “It looks out onto the beautiful hills and we wanted it to feel like an extension of the outside, with green encaustic tiles aligned with the slate flooring.”
As dusk descends, the house glows with quiet intimacy. “The client loved the idea of having a lot of lamps,” says Haag. “If you walked around the house in the evening, it would just invite you in from the glowing light in every room.”
The interiors unfold like a conversation between eras. The sunken lounge, a nod to 1980s design, immerses inhabitants in the landscape. “The carpets were a big component of the project,” notes Haag. “We tailor-made rugs for almost all the spaces. In the sunken lounge, they have tiger motifs – a tongue-in-cheek play on old hunting lodges.”
Haag’s curation balances wit and warmth through vintage and contemporary finds including a reupholstered Eames chair, Cab dining chairs, ceramics by Scott Elk and a Perspex chandelier that lends levity. Together, they create an atmosphere that feels like a deep exhale – intimate yet generous.
Functionality, too, takes centrestage. “The client is a big cook,” says Cooper. “She was very invested in the kitchen. I like stainless because it’s fit for purpose – finished with a waxed treatment so it’s muted and doesn’t mark. It’s the real workhorse of the house.”
Sustainability underpins the project: original rockwork was retained, terrazzo benchtops were made from waste marble and all tiles were locally produced in Melbourne. Choices like these honour craft while reducing impact. At Gruyere Farm, architecture does more than shelter – it breathes, glows and endures, with every surface telling a story of renewal.
Interior design by Manifold. Landscape design by Eckersley Garden Architecture.
