Ronnoco Farm
Ronnoco Farm is a home shaped by its setting, where the Byron Bay hinterland falls away in rolling gestures and the weather sweeps across with a force that leaves little room for architectural bravado.
Confronted with the exposed topography of the locale – an elevated site in Coopers Shoot in the Byron hinterland – Polly Harbison Design chose not to perch a lightweight pavilion on the crest but to embed the residence into the land itself. The result is a series of terraced stone forms that rise as though coaxed from the basalt country underfoot.
Drawing on the calm assurance of vernacular stone structures that have long marked rural ridgelines, the architecture holds its place without dominating it.
From the outset, the aim was not invisibility or contrast but contribution. Drawing on the calm assurance of vernacular stone structures that have long marked rural ridgelines, the architecture holds its place without dominating it. Thick hand-built walls, broad horizontal lines and disciplined dimensions give the dwelling a restrained silhouette that sits comfortably within the landscape.
This sense of permanence is balanced by moments of surprising lightness. The solidity of the stonework is countered by oversized openings, most notably the 12-metre span of sliding doors in the main living space, which retract entirely into the 900-millimetre-thick walls. “The very simple plan is a series of fat walls and large openings that frame the stunning views,” says Harbison. When open, the interior behaves like an outdoor room oriented towards Lennox Head; when closed, deep reveals offer safe harbour from southerly storms.
“The site is the star of the show,” notes Harbison, with the interiors designed to amplify, not compete with, the surrounding landscape.
Materiality provides Ronnoco Farm with its emotional centre. The basalt used was not a conceptual gesture but a literal extension of the paddocks, collected and composed by master stonemason Reuben Hartnett. Touring the region with the clients, Hartnett revealed the extraordinary range within the same ballast stone – how its character shifts entirely through the hand shaping it. His involvement became foundational to the project’s identity and atmosphere.
Inside, the palette remains robust and elemental. This is a home for daily living – for dogs, boots and the dust of a working rural property. Finishes flow effortlessly between interior and exterior, strengthening the architectural clarity. Texture becomes the primary source of richness: coarse renders, tactile stone, warm timbers and handmade surfaces that capture light with nuance. “The site is the star of the show,” notes Harbison, with the interiors designed to amplify, not compete with, the surrounding landscape.
“We wanted a home that embraces everyday living while remaining beautifully refined.”
Furnishings by Tigmi further this intention, introducing warmth and ease through a quiet layering of vintage and contemporary pieces. Founder and creative director Danielle McEwan collaborated closely with Harbison and the clients to create a restrained, inviting interior language. “We wanted a home that embraces everyday living while remaining beautifully refined,” explains McEwan. The result feels neither formal nor curated, but deeply personal.
The build, led by Todd Knaus of Knaus Constructions, brought together many of the region’s most skilled trades. Knaus’s collaborative approach, combined with the trust of the clients, allowed for onsite refinement that helped to elevate both the project’s detail and its craftsmanship. In a home so reliant on precision and material integrity, this alignment between architect, builder, stonemason and landscape designer was essential.
Durable in form and generous in spirit, Ronnoco Farm offers a grounded way of living.
Though informed by the region, Ronnoco Farm avoids the familiar tropes of coastal style. Its architecture is specific to this ridgeline – to its stone, its wind patterns, its long views and its agricultural history. For Harbison, the project also marks an evolution in her practice – her first major stone building and a deepening of her ongoing exploration of proportion, shadow and restraint.
One space in particular encapsulates the essence of the project. Neither room nor deck, the eastern outdoor terrace is a generous clearing safeguarded by the stone, animated by the early sun and cooled by the afternoon breeze. A recycled timber table sits beneath board-formed concrete beams, surrounded by textures that feel shaped, carved and assembled by hand. It is a place that holds both the extended family and a solitary cup of tea with equal grace, a distilled expression of the home’s broader intentions.
