A Contemporary Resilience – Dune House by Acre Featuring Tait

Ingrained within the landscape design of Dune House is an understanding of tonality and an appreciation for resiliency. Taking note of the iconic Australian coastal backdrop, Acre has crafted a landscape of authentic integrity, complemented by Tait outdoor furniture.

Situated along the coast of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, the aptly named Dune House lies heavily exposed atop of the Blairgowrie dunes. With 180-degree bay views to the north and 180-degree views of the ocean to the south, the structure offers a unique and exclusive perspective of its coastal siting. “Our role as landscape architects is always to connect the garden to the house,” says Brett Robinson, Creative Director at Acre. “And whether that’s through vistas from windows of the architecture or whether that’s in drawing people out to the spaces, it’s something that we really do enforce through our design outcomes.”

A selection of plants – tonally reflecting the home’s surrounding natural elements – are purposefully placed to soften the more structured elements of the architectural design. Contemplative interventions aim to activate and work alongside the landscape, rather than compete with it. “One of the key moments that really works well for me is the pool and the sundeck dissecting the slope of the dune,” Brett says. “It creates a really private garden, and it acts as a beautiful water feature all year.” Additionally, Acre designed an alfresco kitchen as a way to encourage a relationship between interior and exterior areas, making “the space really, really functional.”

Encapsulating the very fabric of the landscape design is the outdoor furniture collection designed by Tait. “Outdoor furniture really serves a purpose in those spaces. For us, Tait’s furniture really suited this project,” explains Brett. “From a design perspective, [Tait products] really felt at one with the architecture and with our plant direction.” As Tait produces its furniture locally, there is a deep-rooted understanding of the harshness of the Australian landscape and the necessary requirements needed to create pieces that endure.

Contemplative interventions aim to activate and work alongside the landscape, rather than compete with it.

In the late 1990s, Tait moved exclusively to producing outdoor furniture. “I think that was the best decision in the history of the business,” reflects Gordon Tait, Founding Director at Tait. “There was a real niche there for Australian made, high-quality outdoor products.” Passionate about keeping manufacturing in Australia, collaboration is incredibly important to the brand. The Melbourne-based company’s most recent partnership with Sydney designer Charles Wilson saw the creation of the sailing-inspired Zephyr Lounger. “A Zephyr is an uplifting wind,” explains Gordon, “and – I have a sailing background – so we loved that connection with this product because of the tension in the seat evokes that of the tension in a sail.” Two versions emerged from the collaboration, both featured in Dune House. A high back lounge chair and a second with a lower back; the two chairs are both available in a selection of deep colours inspired by the vibrancy of the Australian landscape.

Dune House also includes pieces from Tait’s Trace line, featuring the brand’s latest collaboration with Willie Weston. Willie Weston’s contemporary outdoor fabrics feature unique designs by artists from Indigenous-owned art centres, many of whom from some of the most remote areas of the country. “On this particular project, the Trace line from Tait was really well suited,” Brett explains, “because it was a really well-made and heavy product line.” The fabric is not only imbued with a luxurious robustness but “it also works beautifully with the colour tones of all of the timber and the stone that we used in the project,” he reflects.

Executed with precision, Dune House emerges with a timeless landscaping intervention, sparking a dynamic dialogue between garden and site. Crafted by Acre, each considered design decision reflects values of resiliency and functionality. Similarly, as products built to withstand the Australian climate and to last a lifetime, Tait contributes  a contemporary and purposeful addition to this outdoor landscape of the home.

Encapsulating the very fabric of the landscape design is the outdoor furniture collection designed by Tait.