prowess that’s on display inside this Gold Coast home NORTHERN EXPOSURE Located just behind Victoria’s Surf Coast

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NORTHERN EXPOSURE In the hills behind Victoria’s Surf Coast, an artist and her family found a plot of land that gives them a sunny outlook all year round

EXTERIOR Nat Anderson’s family chose Colorbond Night Sky steel for the roof and walls of their new home in the Barrabool Hills. KITCHEN (opposite) The full-time artist specialises in landscapes and seascapes so living in a beautiful location is endlessly inspiring. As well as some of her own paintings, (on bench), Nat has works by Ren Inei (top shelf), Peter Roux (middle) and others. Like the rest of her home, the kitchen has a subtle but stylish Seventies vibe, seen here in the Yohen Border tiles by Inax.

cheat sheet

Who lives here Natalie Anderson, an artist; her husband Shane, an electrician; their daughters: Harriet, 22, Scout, 16, and Mietta, 14; and various pets: border terrier Sunny, bulldog Gus, and cats George and Mikki. Style of home A three-level dwelling based on passive design principles. After buying the land in 2016, the family started buildng their new house in March 2018. They moved in 15 months later. Their budget for the design fees and build was $850,000.

Landscape painter Natalie Anderson has been in “Normally, it’s difficult to build a house on a hill,” says awe of the ocean since she was a child. So when Robert. “You have to cut it into the hill, otherwise the front of the time came for her family of five to find a the house ends up a long way off the ground. In this case, it was new place to live, Nat insisted they didn’t stray important that the house just sat on the hillside and looked like far from the coast.“We had been living on a it had always been there; that meant no retaining walls and no semi-rural property near Geelong and enjoyed verandahs sticking out high in the air.” being in the countryside,” she says, “but I also Robert suggested black Colorbond steel for both the external wanted to be within 15 minutes’ drive of the sea.” walls and roof of the home. “We wanted them to be of the same

Nat and her husband Shane homed in on a district known material, so it almost appeared as if the home was a large rock as the Barrabool Hills, in the hinterland behind Victoria’s Surf half submerged in the landscape,” he says. Inside, Robert was

Coast. “It’s very green, very beautiful and full of broadacre guided by Nat’s enduring fondness for the 1970s. “I wanted farms,” says Nat. Best of all, it was very close to the beach. to borrow from the things I loved in my childhood: split levels,

But small properties in the hills are hard to find and the search sunken lounges and plywood walls,” says Nat. “And of course, extended for months. Then, one day, a friend of Nat’s told her floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the view to the north.” about a newly listed property. “My friend was Not everything was possible within the interested in it herself, but her partner at the time, Robert, was an urban dweller and didn’t “The angled budget, however. “Those limewashed ply walls were one of the first things we want to move,” Nat explains. external walls make scrapped,” reveals Nat. “Plaster is really cheap,

The family raced out to the property and the house look as I found out!” However, Robert was able to discovered a one-hectare patch of gently rolling hillside surrounded by fields of black Angus cattle. “I thought, ‘This is perfect – we’re never going to get it,’” says Nat. “It felt if it grew out of the landscape instead of sitting on it’’ line one room – Nat and Shane’s bedroom – with ply. Other requests, such as a sunken living room, were more easily accommodated, although a planned library was abandoned like it was out of our reach, but then it came ROBERT TROUP, ARCHITECT due to space constraints. “You have to decide to the auction and we were successful.” what you’re prepared to compromise on and

By that stage, there were limited funds left over to build what you’re not,” says Nat. “If I come into money, I can still put their forever home. Luckily, Nat’s friend’s partner – the urban the ply on my walls. But can I really change the ceiling height?” dweller, Robert Troup – was an architect. “He’d seen the land Other decisions were guided by Robert’s interest in and they’d kind of been thinking about buying it, so he had sustainability. Concrete-slab floors give the home a high thermal already designed this whole house in his mind,” says Nat. mass, which helps control internal temperatures all year, and

Fortunately, Robert offered to work on the house for a reduced there is cross ventilation through rows of narrow windows along rate. “It’s one of those dream sites that faces north and has a the south-facing rear of the property. Those windows offer gentle slope to the north,” he says. “Immediately, I got an idea glimpses out to the south, where there are paddocks and cows. of where the living rooms might be.” Nat, Shane and their three daughters are now happily set up

The family and Robert agreed that the floor plan should in the home and love its northern spot. “We’re spoilt for choice be very wide to maximise the northerly views. Robert also when it comes to the aspect,” says Nat. “Even the bathrooms face convinced Nat and Shane that the house should comprise three north. You can actually be in the shower and have the sun warming stepped levels with sloped roofs, which would allow the building you through the floor-to-ceiling windows – it’s fantastic.” to follow the contour of the hill, thereby strengthening its View Nat’s work at natalieandersonart.com or @natandersonartist. connection to the landscape. Contact Robert Troup on 0425 707 101 or at narwanthee@gmail.com

LIVING AREA (this page) A painting of the ocean by Nat hangs above a vintage Fred Lowen sideboard behind Harriet and Sunny. Plenty of seating can be found on the family’s Togo armchair by Ligne Roset and four-seater Retro velvet sofa in Ochre by HK Living, through House Of Orange. Gold cushion by Nathan + Jac, supplied by Because Of Jonny. Green bowl (with lemons) by Ana Jensen. Platters, bought in Kyoto. Natalie sourced the small rattan-topped bench (bottom right) from Facebook Marketplace. OUTDOOR SPACE (opposite) There’s at least a hectare of undeveloped land in which to roam.

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While the family love living in their contemporary home, Nat chose to have her painting studio in a traditional timber cottage on the rise above the house

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DINING AREA An Ikea table and dining chairs sourced from Purple Jungle sit atop a sisal rug from Natural Floors Melbourne. Canine artwork by Michelle Dawson. KITCHEN (opposite top and below left) The benchtop is honed black granite and walnut veneer. Pause stools by Woud, through Floc Design. Shane with Scout, who hangs out in an HK Living chair from House Of Orange. SITTING AREA (opposite right) Keeping the living space warm in winter is an AXIS 1000 double-sided fireplace by Sculpt Fireplaces.

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MAIN BEDROOM The walnut-veneer ‘bedhead’ is actually joinery wrapping around the ensuite and robe. Personal touches abound, including a fish trap that Shane sourced in Thailand and turned into a lamp shade. Coverlet and throw, Adairs. Nathan+Jac velvet cushions, Because Of Jonny. Artwork by Nat. HARRIET’S ROOM (opposite top) An eye-catching border-terrier print by Animalist (through Instagram) inspired the colour palette. Harriet made the macramé piece. Linen, Milou Milou. ENSUITE (opposite bottom) A sink by Slabshapers sits on the black-granite vanity. Cabinetry, walnut veneer. Vase, Because Of Jonny.

GREAT FINDS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Mele 1 Light squat pendant in Ash/Frost, $199, Beacon Lighting. Yohen Border YBNA07 ceramic tiles, POA, Artedomus. Hand-thrown medium round bowls, $34 each, Ana Jensen Ceramics. Vitra ‘Akari 1AG’ table lamp by Isamu Noguchi, $605, Living Edge. Vogue ‘Aura 1600’ freestanding oval acrylic bath, $2378, Caroma. Ligne Roset ‘Togo Fireside’ chair, $3495–$3925, Domo. Sahara jute rug, from $1460 for 1.7m x 2.4m size in Natural, Armadillo. Lynette velvet cushion in Mustard (50cm x 50cm), $89, and Linen House ‘Kew’ cushion in Navy (45cm x 45cm), $39, both Domayne. Refuge Of The Spirit oil-on-canvas artwork by Nat Anderson (160cm x 110cm), $4500, Boom Gallery. Terracotta hanging pot, $145, Garden Life.

LESSONS LEARNT “Get creative with compromise”

NAT ANDERSON, ARTIST/OWNER “Compromise is your friend, not your enemy. Having an unlimited budget and getting every feature you want might seem appealing, but in the end there’s something a bit soulless about that. If you have to come up with other solutions, I think you get something even better.”

FAMILY BATHROOM All the bathroom floors are polished concrete. Here, the ladder is from Ikea and the light is an affordable Beacon Lighting design. A log crafted by Shane’s father keeps bath supplies handy. Pom Pom hand towel, Miss April. EXTERIOR (opposite) The family gathered around their fire pit, just outside the lower living area. The fire pit itself was made from repurposed construction steel, and the stone surrounding it is highly sought-after Ceres sandstone, donated by some generous neighbours. Each of the seats is a stone-filled gabion basket, built from kits sourced at Melbourne’s Yarrabee Stone.

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1 Entry 2 Dining area 3 Kitchen 4 Pantry 5 Laundry 6 Study 7 Family room 8 Bedroom 9 Bedroom 10 Bathroom 11 Mud room 12 Fire pit 13 Sitting area 14 Spare room 15 Bathroom 16 Main bedroom 17 Ensuite/WIR

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