The Seat
Tess Kelly

The Seat

Atlas Architects as Architects

The Seat was not just affected by the global pandemic, it was born of it. Our clients, a semi-retired couple who bought the property on a whim, were seeking a weekender on the coast with room to breathe – a safe place for their grown family to escape, gather and relax. When the pandemic hit, the couple found themselves unexpectedly spending more time at their new retreat and decided they needed a home to match the stunning coastal landscape.

photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly

Our creative clients conceived something truly special during an exceptionally challenging time, giving Atlas the opportunity to create our own extraordinary silver lining. The Seat was an extremely rewarding project, requiring us to go back to basics and rediscover how architecture can genuinely integrate with the landscape. 

photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly

This brown-brick, pitched-roof farmhouse was built in the 1980s. It’s set on a stunning block amid rolling hills on Melbourne’s picturesque Mornington Peninsula, but the orientation of the building meant that, particularly from the west, the house turned its back on some of the best views in Victoria. Our clients wanted to renovate the existing home and build a large family room extension embodying a new living, kitchen, and dining area. The home needed to connect with the panoramic landscape, bringing it inside as the focal point of every moment.

photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly

However, while opening the house up was key, it was still a family home where spaces for private family moments were essential. Parts of the building were to be completely shielded from sight, while the extension was to be orientated to the valley and unique site contours.  

photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly
photo_credit Tess Kelly
Tess Kelly

Both the interior and exterior of the existing building fabric blends flawlessly with the new. It’s hard to know where the original building stops and the new extension begins: it’s an inventive yet organic meeting of building, site and lifestyle. The colour theme, bluestone floor, roof and the expression of the building skeleton work in concert to unify old and new, which was the ultimate design intention.

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