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Toomah Farm by Drake Design
Toomah Farm is a contemporary rural home by Drake Design that reimagines Australian country living through refined materials, open planning and a deep connection to landscape.
Set within Victoria’s Toomuc Valley, just beyond Melbourne’s outer south-east, this contemporary residence by Drake Design offers a considered reinterpretation of rural living. Conceived as a modernist response to a traditionally agricultural landscape, the home balances the quiet drama of its setting with a refined and highly functional architectural expression.
Drake Design, a Melbourne-based building design studio, is known for its pragmatic yet thoughtful approach to residential and commercial projects. With a background rooted in drafting and an emphasis on strong client relationships, the studio has built a reputation for delivering homes that are both technically rigorous and deeply personal. For Toomah Farm, working alongside builder Kalibar Homes, the team responded to a brief that called for seamless integration with the landscape, a sense of retreat and an adaptable family lifestyle that moves fluidly between work, rest and recreation.
The result is a low-slung, light-filled home that reads as both grounded and sculptural. Set on a generous eight-hectare site, the home sits quietly within the landscape, its low-lying form and thoughtful orientation shaped by the surrounding terrain. A restrained material palette anchors the architecture to the site, with Corten steel, natural timber battens and masonry blockwork echoing the robust forms of traditional farm buildings. Over time, the steel will weather, embedding the home even further into its surroundings. Meanwhile, full-height glazing captures expansive views of the rolling hills, while also inviting a softness of light that shifts throughout the day.
Inside, spaces are calm and open, anchored by polished concrete floors and warmed by a ceiling of European oak. Material accents are purposeful and refined – the kitchen features Laminex surfaces in Sublime Teak and AbsoluteMatte Terril, striking a careful chord between utility and elegance. Throughout, Hardie Fine Texture Cladding and Fielders nail-strip-style cladding in COLORBOND Monument finish articulate key volumes, offering depth and durability. Honed Porcelain Masonry by GB Masonry further grounds the home, adding subtle texture and solidity to the built form.
While the overall form references gabled rural typologies, the layout is shaped by more contemporary concerns: maximising natural light, framing outlooks and creating internal connections between shared and private zones. A central courtyard acts as a moment of pause, encouraging outdoor living while protecting privacy. Elsewhere, equestrian infrastructure is integrated into the property in a way that supports the family’s passions without competing with the home itself.
Every element has been designed to heighten ease and comfort, from the generous kitchen island that encourages family gathering to the discreet zoning that allows for quiet retreat. Though clearly contemporary, the home never feels austere – it is tactile, warm and tuned to daily rhythms. Whether entertaining guests, working from home or simply watching the mist roll across the hills in the early morning, the house invites a kind of grounded presence that reflects the values of those who live there.
Throughout, the design speaks to a larger ambition – not just to house a family, but to support a lifestyle intimately connected to place. As a study in restraint and responsiveness, Toomah Farm marks a confident evolution for Drake Design, and a thoughtful exploration of how the Australian country home might be reimagined today.
Architecture and interior design by Drake Design. Build by Kalibar Homes. Landscape design by Studio Alba. Landscape construction by Limitless Landscapes.
