Discover This House On A Hill In Country Victoria

LOCATION Daung wurrung Country/Victoria, Australia INTERIOR DESIGN Flack Studio PHOTOGRAPHY Anson Smart WORDS Alexandra Gordon

A layered and moody framework provides the backdrop to a vintage furniture collection, creating a bespoke refuge from city life.

The kitchen combines Zellige tiles in Chocolate, a Predia marble island benchtop and American oak joinery. Above the Antique Brown granite benchtop, a collection of sculptures are arranged on the shelf, from left to right, ‘Weeping Woman (kneeling)’ by Sanné Mestrom, ‘Shell teapot’ and ‘Green bottle with shell handles’, both by Glenn Barkley. On the floor are Antico Toscano tiles from Artedomus.

The providore is rich in colour with Vermello T1 tiles from Viúva Lamego and Rosso Levanto marble, from Artedomus.

Set on a hill overlooking an olive grove and the Goulburn River in country Victoria, the views alone could have been enough to bring this country weekender to life. “If you tip it upside down and forget all of the loose furniture, it’s all about the landscape,” Flack Studio founder David Flack says.

Built in the nineties, the single-story modernist home was spread across two simple structures, one with the master bedroom and main living spaces, and the other a guest house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchenette and living space. “While the view was amazing, it was so clinical and cold with no personality or texture before,” the designer recalls.

The panoramic views in the dining room are grounded by the Porro table, vintage Monk chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa from Castorina & Co, and a mid-20th-century Berber rug from Loom. Atmospheric lighting is provided by the Akari UF4-LA floor lamp, vintage French pendant from Geoffrey Hatty, and La Falene floor lamp by Piero de Martini from Nicholas & Alistair.

Flack has taken a characteristically unexpected approach to the interiors, creating a layered and moody framework that’s as captivating as the surrounding countryside. “The windows are so vast; they were almost luminous inside,” he says, adding, “I thought a darker and more textural interior would make the windows pop.”

The clients, avid collectors of vintage furniture, were willing accomplices. Having recently sold a large Victorian house in Melbourne, they had engaged Flack to work on their country weekender and a new penthouse in the city. “It’s their second home, but it doesn’t feel like a holiday home where you have dumped your leftover furniture,” Flack says. Here art, furniture and objects have been expertly curated to suit the reimagined spaces.

Knoll Bertoia counter stools provide seating at the well-appointed kitchen illuminated by a pair of Piero de Martini perforated wall sconces from Nicholas & Alistair. ‘Art Untitled Moment (Cadmium Orange, Scarlet Lake) diptych’ by Yvette Coppersmith brings colour and texture to the airy combined living space. At the same time, ‘Canker sore (detritus)’ by Isadora Vaughan makes an interesting centrepiece. A vintage Gervasoni bamboo daybed is in the foreground.

An overhaul of the plan was part of the two-and-a-half-year process. A powder room was added, the laundry became a stand-alone space, and the living-dining room was reoriented to the repositioned fireplace. “The kitchen was in the same spot, but it became bigger, and off it, we created this beautiful little providore, a humidified room where they store the olive oil they make,” Flack adds.

The rugged setting informed the choice of finishes. “It all had to be robust because you are on the land, straight out into the wind and dust,” Flack explains. Solid European oak chevron floors are combined with handmade Moroccan tiles, marbles and terracotta. Light bounces off the rich Venetian plaster walls and ceilings, creating a sense of spaciousness despite the low ceilings. The cabinetry, a kaleidoscope of different finishes, sizes and grain directions in American oak, aged brass and blacksealed zinc adds another layer of interest. “Everything has a tactility; it all feels Australian without being overtly so,” he says.

A Raffles sofa by Vico Magistretti for De Padova and Sheriff lounge chair in leather by Sergio Rodrigues for ISA provide a comfortable seating area in the living room. On the coffee table is ‘Gold Figure with Elephant Legs’ (2017) by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and a ‘Sky piece (sample)’ by Teelah George above the fireplace. On display on the inbuilt joinery are a collection of sculptural pieces from left to right, ‘Happy Bucket’ (2017) by Nell, ‘The Unsubstantial can easily bump the ordered world into very different registers’ by Isadora Vaughan, ‘A.C.A.B’ by Kait James and ‘Third hand: ‘Austrostipa Elegantissima’ by Isadora Vaughan.

The living room features a vintage rug from Halcyon Lake, vintage Stillo Novo floor lamp from Nicholas & Alistair and a vintage Fred Wall side table from Geoffrey Hatty. ‘Weeping Woman (Kneeling)’ by Sanné Mestrom and the Attico Murano glass wall lamp add interest to the space.

Vintage furniture features heavily in the eclectic interior. “It’s a mishmash of genres, which is fun. They are like this little family together,” Flack says, citing the Sheriff’s armchair from Brazil and the Scarpa dining chairs as favourites. The spaces are not necessarily ruled by style over substance. A green velvet sofa designed by Vico Magistretti for De Padova is one of the few new acquisitions in the house, chosen for its inviting feather-top pillow cushions.

The main bedroom is softened by carefully curated furniture including the vintage Bonking Bunnys armchair from Geoffrey Hatty, Cassina Civil bench and Bio-Mbo bed. By the expansive window is one of an indigenous set of dogs from Short St Gallery.

Since completion, the focus has shifted to the client’s city abode. However, the décor is still evolving. “With all our clients, we keep going; we are always collecting with them. It becomes more than just that one project. They become a part of the studio's life,” Flack says. The dynamic approach has led to a house of artful contradictions—international yet Australian, rustic yet glamorous, and comfortable, offering sanctuary and respite from everyday life.

The ensuite has an earthy combination of finishes including Zellige tiles in Salmon, Calacatta Viola and terrazzo tiles. The vintage Barovier&Toso wall light from Geoffrey Hatty and Astra Walker Olde English tapware complete the picture.