Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

 

When the Client, owners of a building and development business in Melbourne, approached Kennedy Nolan for a new house on the steep slopes of Mount Eagle, some of the opportunities were immediately evident. Superb, uninterrupted views to the north and east and a context of mature tree canopies on the large adjoining sites formed a beautiful backdrop while affording privacy to the house and garden.

The relatively compact site was subdivided from the garden of a larger property. Consequently, it came with a covenant restricting the building envelope, ostensibly to preserve the park-like surrounds and privacy to adjoining gardens. Strict controls on protecting existing trees and augmenting the forest-like canopy of the neighbourhood with new trees also had to be considered.

The brief called for a four-bedroom house with study, playroom and gym, as well as a large garage. Consequently, the design process required a very hard-working plan and section.

“The plan had to resolve conflicting demands of amenity, privacy and aspect, and the section had to facilitate an easy ascent and descent through the house and to visually and inherently connect the seven levels – to avoid a feeling of layers and make the vertical relationships as effortless as the horizontal connections,” explains the team at Kennedy Nolan.

The result is unexpectedly medieval, a sense that there is always another thing around the corner or down a twist of stairs, and that at every turn there is a new spatial experience or an unexpected aspect.

 

Related post: Deepdene House By Kennedy Nolan.

 

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

Eaglemont House by Kennedy Nolan | Yellowtrace

 

“Our Client’s suggestion of Frank Lloyd Wright as a visual springboard for the house resulted in a deep, floating eave above a ribbon of vertically, articulated casement windows resting on a massive masonry plinth,” said the design team. “Because the elevated site is so exposed, we felt it was important to make the building suggestive of a rich domestic interior whilst maintaining a sense of inscrutability. To this end the exterior is intriguing – it hints at the life within, yet remains enigmatic and private.”

Eaglemont is a house designed to be there for a long time, to grow into its surroundings as the tree canopy rises around it and for this reason, it is built from robust materials which will improve in appearance as they show signs of age – natural cement render and pre-aged copper cladding.

The interior is contrasting in its warmth, texture and emphasis on refinement, beautifully complemented with furniture selections by Studio Moore. The contrast emphasises a sense of threshold, the sense of a domestic interior as a refuge that is distinct from the garden. The inhabited external spaces are also distinct – contained, textural, formal and devised as a bridge between the park-like surrounds and the softness of the interior.

 

See more from Kennedy Nolan on Yellowtrace here.

 


[Images styled by Kennedy Nolan & assisted by Natalie Turnbu. Photography by Derek Swalwell.]

 



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With a disarming blend of authority and approachability, Dana is a former refugee-turned-global design visionary. Through her multi-faceted work as a creative director, keynote speaker, editor, curator, interior designer and digital publisher, Dana empowers others to appreciate and engage with design in transformative ways, making the sometimes intimidating world of design accessible to everyone, regardless of their familiarity with the subject. Dana's been catapulted to the status of a stalwart global influencer, with recognition from industry heavyweights such as AD Germany, Vogue Living, Elle Décor Italia and Danish RUM Interiør Design, who have named as one of the Top True Global Influencers of the Design World and counted her among the most visionary female creatives on the planet. Her TEDx talk—"Design Can Change the Way You See the World"— will challenge and transform your understanding of design's omnipresent and profound influence. Through her vast experience in interiors, architecture and design, Dana challenges the prevailing rapid image culture, highlighting the importance of originality, sustainability, connecting with your values and learning to "see" design beyond the aesthetic.

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