Leibal – Kookaburra Ridge by Homeroom Studio
Month: August 2026
Kookaburra Ridge is a minimalist home located in Daylesford, Australia, designed by Homeroom Studio. Artist Suzie Stanford made the front door handle from bark collected on the site, and the object sets the terms for everything past the threshold. It also nods to the client’s affection for the kookaburras that gave the property its name. A handle is the first thing a hand meets, and this one asks the house to be read as something grown out of the ridge rather than delivered to it.
“Windows are proportioned to draw light deep into the plan and to frame particular things, a dam below the deck, a hill in the middle distance, the pines along the boundary.”
Romy Dankner and her Melbourne studio worked with an existing architectural framework instead of a clean site, reconfiguring the floor plan so the house turns to face its outlook. Three bedrooms line the ridgeline. Windows are proportioned to draw light deep into the plan and to frame particular things, a dam below the deck, a hill in the middle distance, the pines along the boundary. Holding the glazing to those moments keeps the interiors cool and dim through a Victorian summer, when a wall of glass would cook the rooms behind it.
The kitchen island carries the load of the whole material scheme. Artedomus supplied the stone, and the island is wrapped as a single mitered block so the veining runs across the bench and down both faces without a seam to interrupt it. Ochre, blue-green, and rust move through the slab in bands that read as sediment, which is more or less what they are. Around it the joinery goes handleless and pale, and the rangehood disappears into a plastered recess. The bathroom repeats the move at a smaller scale, a bath surround in dark clouded stone against rendered walls the color of raw wool.
Words by Leo Lei
New Norm - Montana Jewel by Homeroom Studio & ADD ARC
Month: August 2026
Retaining the original framework of the home, the interior was reimagined around the lifestyle and extensive collection of its owners, whose travels have brought together an eclectic array of artefacts, artworks and objects. These pieces became an important reference point for the interior, informing a warm and tactile material palette that gives the home a sense of depth, history and personal character.
The design centres on a reconfigured layout that brings the main living areas together, creating a more connected arrangement for daily life. The kitchen is organised around a sculptural Terrassa Raya marble island and rangehood, set against softly toned timber cabinetry, while a pair of Ross Gardam Rook stools echo the sculptural qualities of the artefacts displayed nearby. A discreet butler’s pantry and workspace sit alongside the kitchen, allowing the practical elements of daily life to remain close at hand while maintaining a sense of visual calm.
Across the residence, deep timber veneer forms a continuous architectural language through joinery and wall cladding. Its grain direction shifts across surfaces, introducing variation and a subtle sense of craftsmanship inspired by traditional furniture making. Warm brown tones are balanced with soft grey furnishings, off-white walls and pale timber floors, establishing a restrained backdrop for the owners’ collection. In the living room, a leathered stone hearth marked by rich, rusty veining brings a substantial material presence to the home, complemented by handcrafted furniture and vintage-inspired pieces that lend the interiors a collected, enduring quality.