A Layering of Warmth – Mornington Peninsula House by Studio Esteta

Mornington Peninsula House sees the recalibrating of an existing home, replanned and finished with warmth and depth. Responding through a sympathetic lens, Studio Esteta takes contextual cues to reinterpret a home of purposeful connection to its site, outwardly focused and expressed through an honest composition of parts.

Located south east of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula, the house of the same name sits restfully removed from the nearby urban density. The renovation and extension work see an existing Merchant Builders home given a new life, opening and reconnecting the interior experience of the home with both modern sensibilities and true connection to its site. In its immersion amongst such a natural and lushly green setting, the home becomes an absorber of its surrounds, bringing in the natural and raw to create a textural and refined expression of its setting. Studio Esteta uses a considered and refined approach to ensure the home connects to its past, people and place.

At the centre and opening as the convening and connecting heart of the home, the living, dining and kitchen spaces are grouped, opening generously to the garden and outdoor deck area.

Inspiring the retention of elements was the home’s focus on being sustainably responsible, as a sounding board for all consequent directives. Solar panels allow the home to run exclusively from the energy collected, while water tanks collect and provide ample water for the site. Reducing the spread of impact, locally sourced timber is also integrated into the design. Buffering the built elements and the more naturally occurring flora in the distance, Kate Seddon Landscape Design sculpts a series of curated settings to frame the home and its outdoor areas. Internally, openings frame views outward, while a matched warmth of the landscape is brought inward in its own way.

A total overhaul of the internal planning ensures the resulting home is ordered to reflect how its owners actually use it. At the centre and opening as the convening and connecting heart of the home, the living, dining and kitchen spaces are grouped, opening generously to the garden and outdoor deck area. On either side, a bedroom wing sits at one end, with accompanying bathroom, and flanking the other end sits the master suite. The ceiling to the central space lifts up and is opened further through the introduction of a raked ceiling, leading the eye upward and increasing the internal volume of the space. Each new gesture aligns with a common theme of warmth, which the select finishes reinforce through their raw and honest nature. Timber easily sits alongside stone elements and painted plaster, creating an effortless balance in the process.

Each new gesture aligns with a common theme of warmth, which the select finishes reinforce through their raw and honest nature.

Mornington Peninsula House becomes an extension of its placement in the landscape. Through key gestures that reflect the surrounds, Studio Esteta proposes a home of textural richness.