Interior design has the power to shape experiences, infusing a building with meaning. From the eclectic to the elegant, these five homes each feature their own thoughtful and intriguing cast of materials, finishes, layouts, and palettes — blending creativity with functionality to achieve something truly unique for their clients.

Masseria House

Interior Design: Studio 11:11

Architecture & Build: Agushi

Photographer: Nicholas John Wilkins

Masseria is a word for an Italian farmhouse, and you can certainly see how a luxury villa in the Mediterranean countryside could have served as the inspiration for this relaxed yet indulgent home. The interior has been brought to life with a range of natural materials — rock, travertine, tactile render, timber and exposed aggregate concrete — all in neutral tones to temper a busy layering of textures. The result is a space that feels polished and refined but still calming and rooted in the earth; enduring, pared-back, and elegant.

Daddy Cool House

A&D: Pattern Studio

Photographer: Tom Ross

Pattern Studio’s first ever residential project typifies the “sumptuous minimalism” their commercial projects are famous for — where each space washes away distractions but remains rich in sensory details. The designers didn’t want anything to feel overly curated, making room for personality among the finer artisanal and architectural elements. It’s a space where moments of surprise are created by subtle yet striking details, and through a nuanced yet playful intermingling of materials.

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Pine House

A&D: Mim Design

Builder: Fortem Projects

Photography: Timothy Kaye

Weaving together modernism and nature, this home possesses a tranquil yet striking architectural presence. The building is elevated on top of a hill, arranged in a horseshoe-shaped pavilion around an infinity pool. Thanks as well to clever landscaping, it feels more like a remote country house than a residence in suburban Melbourne. Artistic, sculpted elements balance functionality with refinement. The material selection reflects the environment with pale bricks, Accoya timber, stone, and a colour scheme inspired by the coastline.

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Barwon Heads House

Architecture: Adam Kane Architects

Photography: Timothy Kaye

Build: Technique Construction Group

A weatherboard cottage reimagined with grander proportions, including a voluminous barn-like extension. Inside and out, the design prioritises restraint over ornamentation, making its statements via textural materials, light with shadow, stark black injections, and manipulated proportions — mostly open and meditative, with chances for refuge throughout.

Barwon Heads House by Adam Kane Architects

Courtyard Residence

Architecture: Wolveridge Architects

Photography: Derek Swalwell

Build: Smith Builders

With its rich, warm material palette and organic materiality, this residence reflects themes of coastal living. The interior is stripped back to textural rawness, celebrating the beauty of the unrefined — natural stone floors with a tumbled edge, soft earthy rendered walls, handmade Japanese mosaics, and rammed earth spine walls.