A Soul Injection – Manly House by Vellum Interiors and Caroline Pidcock

Steering away from the expected response to a coastal location, Manly House instead takes its muse from its owners and through an intended injection of soul. Vellum Interiors and Caroline Pidcock combine to propose a home of layered substance and texture, emphasised by an embracing calm.

 Longevity and a sense of timelessness ensure any home continues beyond its present, and the intention for Manly House was no different. Its owners wanted to create a place that truly reflected who they were, whilst also marking a non-typical response to its context. While most coastally located homes are linked through their material commonalities and a shared lightness, Manly House embodies its own interpretation of buoyancy while carving its own unique path. Instead of relying heavily on timbers and a tonality of white, the home is layered and textural, expressed through varying colours and textiles. As a combined effort, Vellum Interiors and Caroline Pidcock fold contemporary elements in with an open connection to the natural.

Surrounded by natural landscape, with a key focus on the curated garden setting that borders the home, having clear visual and ventilated connections was key.

Manly House comprises its own neutral palette, made more subdued through the lightness of elements such as the light buttery leather and timber features. Surrounded by natural landscape, with a key focus on the curated garden setting that borders the home, having clear visual and ventilated connections was key. Both from a passive cooling and natural illumination perspective, the reminder of place was an important element of the brief and, in turn, also influenced the resulting palette in its own subtle ways. To the front, views out onto Shelley Beach mark the home; to the rear, a national park adds a deep buffer between the site and other residences.

Built by Anchor Building Co, together with landscaping by Land Forms, the resulting home combines materiality, personality and a narrated life, comfortably sitting in its coastal setting. Home to a family of six, the new gestures are conceived from a place of inherent robustness. The home’s siting near the ocean was a consideration for the materiality that followed, as the chosen materials used needed to withstand the prevailing winds and salt dampened air. An existing and varied art collection was the initial inspiration for the palette, while the natural elements and their tonality were also brought into the internal spaces in an enriching way.

Built by Anchor Building Co, together with landscaping by Land Forms, the resulting home combines materiality, personality and a narrated life, comfortably sitting in its coastal setting.

Intended to endure, Manly House draws on its influences and surrounds, seeing Vellum Interiors and Caroline Pidcock craft a home of meaningful connection.