The gabled roof angles the interiors at Farmhouse Fields by Studio Hallihan to the vistas beyond, with deep reveals intentionally framing the daily show of the transitional sky. “The overall footprint was orientated to maximise views and to provide refuge and warmth from the bitterly cold southwest winds that sweep the hill,” says Tanya Love-Hallihan of Studio Hallihan. “Our interior response salutes the sun and the ever-changing landscape stretching towards Zeally Bay.”
Love-Hallihan was first brought on to the project in 2021 to create an intimate farmhouse home for a bustling young family who were content with taking a slower staged approach. A deliberate pace allowed for exploration into detail and sourcing the handcrafted. “The project involvement was quite unique, given the regional locality; it highlighted collaboration with local makers and trades and their enthusiasm and commitment to quality craftsmanship,” she says.
With a “buttery and warm, tactile palette”, Farmhouse Fields comes together to improve wellbeing and connection through form and materials, sitting “in harmony with the vegetation and tones of each passing season.” “Materials were selected for their tactile qualities, natural imperfections, and resilience,” says Love-Hallihan.
“Uneven split and tumbled filetti flow from the exterior entry into the mud room, wire brushed timber joinery sit like bespoke furniture pieces in the space,” she continues. “Tumbled edge marble cobblestones and cross brushed timber oak flooring provide subtle texture underfoot.”
In the main living zone, with its expansive vistas, the main architectural gabled structure is clad in limestone, echoing the clay soil beyond. The lime paint and plaster finishes were applied by brush and trowel, and the dedicated stonemason’s walls of cladding continues the dedication to a slow process. “The heavily textured limestone mortar is empathic to imperfect European stonework,” says the designer. “The time invested in sourcing the stone, to sample and perfect varying mortar applications grounds the craftmanship that followed throughout this project.”
There is an easy flow between the kitchen, living, and dining. The kitchen embraces a larger footprint, doing away with the expected butler’s pantry. “Both theatrical and functional the space celebrates simple routines, brewing coffee, food prep, and the aftermath shuffle,” adds Love-Hallihan. And it’s the open footprint that the clients love the most, with the kitchen Calacatta Viola marble benchtop, sourced from Artedomus, becoming a statement for the entire living space. A place that the designer shares “invites long conversations, involvement, and provides more than the functionality of a place to cook. Designed to hold everyday routines, family celebrations and just a lovely space to be together and amongst the action.”
Suggested: A residence by BUNSTON where “the significance and history grew as the project unfolded”
The departure from public spaces into private sees a slight shift to a deeper colour palette. The bathrooms are calm and inviting, with custom-patterned tiles throughout. And in the bedrooms, an array of depth in Porter’s Paint — the primary bedroom in Oaten, and in the kids’ bedroom, split colours, deeper ceilings, and complementary hues in Porter’s Moorehen with Newport Blue and Himalayan Salt with Moonstone.
Throughout the project, the designer looks to sustainability with under-slab hydronic heating, double glazing with Low-E, and locally made, biodegradable plaster applications without VOC. Joined by ethically sourced Porter’s Paints, specified low VOC, sustainable renewable private forest timber, and natural wool bulk insulation. To further increase the clients’ wellbeing, daybeds run along the expansive windows, offering a prime position to view the “large artworks of slow-moving colour.” Plus, a commissioned painting by Emma Itzstein’s ‘Down Along the Creek’ echoes the surrounding Victorian coastal bushland tones.
Within the simple gable roof structure echoing the local vernacular, Studio Hallihan complements Farmhouse Field’s built architecture with balance and proportion. The result is an elegant and considered retreat with materiality for longevity and connection.
