House on a hill by Leeton Pointon Architects

Designed for a couple with adult children, the clients’ brief ran to several pages – with a requirement to not only enjoy the house and property on their own, but as importantly, when their children, and eventually grandchildren, arrive. “The added complication was that it also had to function as a type of retreat for the clients’ staff, as well as holding lunch and dinner events for up to 40 people,” says Leeton. Mindful that the size of the house and the views could be overwhelming Leeton was keen to create, both ‘compressed and expanding’ spaces for both family and guests. He and his collaborators, interior designer and landscape designer were also mindful of responding to the unique site, with its grazing cattle and its recently planted vineyard.

Given the fall of the land and the orientation of the house (with views of the ocean to the south), the team was as mindful of the often, extreme weather. “It can be windy and cold in winter, as well as being muddy. And in summer, it can be very hot and dry,” says Leeton. Hence, rather than a transparent glazed box, Leeton, who worked closely with builders LBA Construction, opted for a more monumental response – sprayed concrete forms that loosely define the various functions within the home as well as creating a protective outdoor area to the north that could be enjoyed all year round. Although a strong contemporary response in the landscape, Leeton sees the design as imbued with a certain degree of primitiveness, mainly due to the many deep cave-like links to the various wings in the house, as much as the way materials are used, including the rough texture produced by using sprayed rather than in situ concrete. “With in situ concrete, the form work to make it gets thrown out so we wanted to take a more sustainable approach,” he says.

One of the starting points to the design is the dining area, conceived to accommodate up to 40 people around a table, taking the form of a glazed link that enjoys both a southerly and northerly aspect – the latter including a generous outdoor terrace and an elliptical-shaped swimming pool. Unlike a city abode where a kitchen is often ‘back of house’, here it’s located just near the front lobby, with its dedicated mud room for muddy boots and coats (being a working farm). “The kitchen, particularly its position is more attuned to a country kitchen where one arrives at the heart of the house,” says Leeton. And in the country style, there are two kitchen benches, one clad in stone and the other in timber, so that family and friends can all partake in preparing meals.

Leeton Pointon Architects also created a series of pavilions to meet their clients’ brief in terms of the number of bedrooms, living areas and places to be on their own. “I was mindful that the house had to feel intimate even if the owners were there on their own,” says Leeton, who created intimate nooks such as a built-in day bed between two of the bedroom pavilions – three bedrooms in each and with bathrooms. One of the most coveted spaces within the home is the domed concrete pavilion which functions as the main living area. Featuring a curvaceous ceiling reaching its apex of eight metres, this living area features built-in sinuous lounges that follow the form of the pavilion.

The ‘House on a Hill’ is certainly a large house with every possible feature one could imagine. But it’s also a thoughtfully curated home that creates different experiences in terms of space as much as controlled views at every turn. And rather than simply a concrete pile, it has been softened with timber, including eucalypt twigs for the external pergola that allow for a more gentle experience in what is a challenging environment.

You can find out more about Leeton Pointon Architects on their website or Instagram. Story by Stephen Crafti. Interior Design by Allison Pye. Landscape Design by Paul Bangay. Builder LBA Construction. Photography by Lisa Cohen.