When Melbourne architect Tony Vella, director of Rachcoff Vella Architecture, was approached by a couple with four young children and three dogs to create a home on Melbourne’s bayside beachfront, the brief was a challenging one. They wanted a home that could stand up to all the “trials and tribulations a family could throw at it”—but it also had to be architecturally ambitious and stand out from the more conventional “fishbowl” architecture that lines the promenade.

“The clients’ ambition for the project set the bar high,” reveals Vella. “They wanted a minimalist approach with a restricted material palette that was limited in complexity but defiant in individual character and charm.”

A minimal palette of only five key materials—recycled silver timber, off-form concrete, brass, white oak joinery and a selection of bespoke, handmade fittings and fixtures—was employed to craft the home.

“The more limited the palette was, the more successful we saw the outcome being,” says Vella. “When researching materials that didn’t require a finished application of some form, it didn’t leave us with much to choose from—especially as we wanted them to be natural, raw, and primarily gray in color tone.”

The resulting home is a robust mass that rises up from the sand dunes and beach grasses like a coastal rock formation. From the street, it presents a largely closed and private facade; on the beachside, it opens up to ocean views.

“The home could come across as a very brutal house, with the untreated raw concrete and timbers, brass, and metal all left to age and patina naturally,” says Vella. “The form itself is somewhat austere and non-inviting—it requires some time and exploration to experience and witness the finer detail, texture, and color within this very limited and masculine built object.”

The layout is informed by the day-to-day activities of the family, with a ground floor that allows them to easily “unload and dispatch” everything from school bags to beach gear, and then make their way to private or shared spaces. The main family gathering space is on the elevated first floor, with spectacular views over the water. Another sitting room on the ground floor, next to the children’s bedrooms and study area, opens out to the internal courtyard. In contrast, a third lounge room in the basement offers a dark and more intimate space for escape and privacy or film screenings.

As the site is relatively small in comparison to the home, the internal spaces are stacked vertically, and Rachcoff Vella Architecture paid careful attention to ensure a connection between the internal and external spaces on each level. The children’s bedrooms and lounge space on the ground floor spill out onto a central courtyard with a pool.

The dining, kitchen, and living space on the first floor also overlooks this courtyard, and has expansive views over the bay. In addition to the courtyard, there is an expansive roof terrace, which functions as the primary outdoor space and features a spa, steam room, and barbecue area.

Shop the Look

One of the most intriguing—yet not immediately obvious—aspects of the home is the use of meticulously handcrafted and bespoke fixtures and fittings, many of which were locally made. The bath rails, for example, had to incorporate concealed plumbing within a concrete wall, LED strip lighting, and also perform as a towel rail and shelf. The hardworking piece designed by Rachoff Vella was crafted by PO Box Designs.

“Like most things with this project, it made more sense to design from scratch and have the most suitable solution for the task at hand locally made,” says Vella. “The R&D and craftsmanship went above and beyond a standard finishes schedule. It’s a clear example of how a minimalist outcome needs a body of work behind the scenes that is often unrecognized—but is essential in producing a unique and well-resolved object.”

This ambitious architectural undertaking meant that the design was constantly evolving, with the team sketching, modeling, reviewing, and prototyping up to—and throughout—the construction. As a result, both the design and build process had to be fluid—and the clients had to be open to an ever-evolving scheme.

“Constructing a home where every piece of infrastructure had to be detailed and accurately located prior to construction was a coordination feat,” says Vella. “The biggest joy, however, was watching the handcrafted joinery go in. It is the element that softens and compliments the hard concrete surfaces—and it was an important consideration given there were none of the painted or tiled surfaces that typically give life to a building. The completed home far exceeded the clients’ expectations and has given them a different appreciation of what a house can look and feel like.”

Related Reading:

Concrete Arches Shroud a Minimalist Forever Home in a Melbourne Suburb

A Carbon-Neutral Concrete House Is an Exemplary Infill in Western Australia

A Concrete Home Inspired by Historic Brutalist Structures Rises in Australia

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Rachcoff Vella Architecture / @rachcoffvella

Lead Architect: Tony Vella

Builder: Koorool Constructions

Structural Engineer: Keith Patrick & Associates

Landscape Design: T.C.L.

Landscape Design: Formed Landscapes

Lighting Design: Electrolight

Interior Design: Rachcoff Vella Architecture

Brasswork: PO Box Designs

Photography: Tatjana Plitt