Located a few hours from Melbourne, Harcourt is a residence that sits on an 18 acre farm and property, owned by interior designer Emily Jury and partner Mark.
Pairing a Portuguese farmhouse sensibility with a considered approach to location and context, the surrounding environment is seen as an extension of the home: “We decided early on that the crux of our approach was always ensuring the structure does not compete with the surrounding views, which is how we found ourselves gravitating towards simple structures, the honest use of natural materials and tones which pick up on the landscape,” says Jury.
As such, the simple volumes and linear geometrics of the villas often seen along the coast of Portugal are realised as a pavilion-style home with an H floorplan. Finished in natural renders and plaster the exterior pairs a rough organic render with the pink-tinge of the Simmental Silver bricks (Bowral), which are used both externally and internally.
These are particularly interesting at the threshold where a stack-laid floor meets common laid walls for a subtle textural shift in the rhythm. It also provides a clearly demarked line between indoor and outdoor shoes with a bench seat where they can be changed and tucked away.
Further within the floor of pale, but highly figured timber is a soft transition from brick, becoming softer again as a large rug appears (Newstead, Designer Rugs) and eventually softening completely with carpeted bedrooms (Chatsworth 520, Devonshire Wool).
The palette is light and natural with the pale leather on the timber dining chairs (Barnaby Lane) a particular highlight. Stone too is impressive with a rich grey marble (Taj Mahal, CDK Quartzit, Vic Stone) used extensively for the kitchen. Again, the tone is light but figured with similarly striated timber cabinetry to one side and stark white to the other. A long narrow splashback in the same stone contains and frames the whole while adding to the visual volume.
“Though our home may appear simple and minimalistic at first glance, we have used this to our benefit and incorporated over-the-top uses of marble stones, tiles, grains and plaster to create subtle juxtapositions that entice you to reach out and feel,” says Jury.
The main living area introduces a warmer and more sculptural tone with the large curve of the Valley sofa (Jardan) defining the space as separate. A Joy swivel chair in a darker shade of green contains the space without interfering with the view, which is invited into the home via a large inset window to one side and expansive timber frames with glazing to the wall adjacent. A large rug brings pinks and mustard into the composition beautifully.
These warmer tones are continued into the bedrooms where textiles are layered and pattern is introduced. The view here is again celebrated with large picture windows boxed into the build. And then there is the cheeky sculptural addition of Faye Toogood’s Roly Poly chair for Driade in peat (coffee), which suggests that while this may be a country home, the sensibility is a whole lot hipper than a farmhouse.
Project Details
Interior design – Nectaar
Photography – Dylan James
