EST Living – Home Tour | Kookaburra Ridge by Homeroom Studio
In the countryside near Daylesford in Victoria, Australia, a home finds a sense of rhythm within the landscape.
Set upon a scenic ridgeline in Victoria, Australia, the newly designed Kookaburra Ridge sits in conversation with its tranquil surroundings. With soft tones and textural materials, Melbourne-based Homeroom Studio created a thoughtful, pared-back design that allows the home to flow effortlessly with the landscape. “While tranquillity was central to the brief, the client was equally seeking a sense of quiet sophistication—an environment that felt refined without excess,” Homeroom Studio founder and director Romy Dankner explains.
Given the breathtaking surrounding landscape, the design continually references a connection between the interior and exteriors. The entrance, which is “deliberately understated,” Dankner notes, with soft grey stone paving that extends seamlessly from the exterior to the interior foyer. “This moment acts as a pause before stepping down into the main spine of the home, where the spaces unfold more fully,” she adds. From here, the landscape is immediately visible, ensuring the first focal point is on the countryside and pine trees beyond.
“What feels most compelling is the home’s sense of restraint.”
“Materials have been deliberately limited, allowing light, texture, and landscape to take precedence.” Within the pared-back material palette, warm woods and veined stones ground the space, while softer textures such as open-weave linen window coverings are a gentle counterpoint to the clean lines. Each material was also selected with longevity in mind, with the intention for the home to be a calming, refined retreat for years to come.
For Danker, “there is a stillness to the home—deeply attuned to its setting and gently removed from the pace of everyday life.” The design doesn’t compete with the environment, but acts seemingly as a natural extension of the landscape itself, offering an idyllic vantage point to experience the surroundings from day to night, season to season.
Words by Charlotte Boates
Photography Traianos Pakioufakis
