Bellemo & Cat : Elphinstone house

This is a small country house designed by Australian architects Bellemo & Cat.

This compact low budget weekender sits in its paddock and silently watches the weather roll over the distant hills. It’s a house with various allusions both local (Ned Kelly) and international (burka, woolen tents of nomadic Arabic). The client as a Lebanese-Australian wanted to tie together her interest in working on peace in the Middle East and creating a home in harmony with the forces of nature on this part of the planet.

The angle of the sun, the outlook to the view and the collection of water have been the determining principles in the design, as has the idea of duality; The harmony for the entire through the strategic placement of the parts. We have sought to design a building composed of two similarly shaped but distinct parts.

Photos © Sonia Mangiapane and Michael Bellemo