Wren House, Mt Martha

At Wren House, Mt Martha, Wolveridge Architects have set a fresh direction in terms of what a relaxed Australian beach house could be. The home has been reimagined as a celebration of craft, with warm walnut timber, natural clay and hues of deep maroon and blue.

Wren House is a departure from the stereotypical, speculative beachside home seen along the Mornington Peninsula and on coastlines around Australia. It represents an arrival at understated, urbane serenity located at the beach.

Wren House Inspiration

Taking inspiration from Yoshiro Taniguchi’s iconic Okura Hotel in Tokyo, Wren House sees a sophisticated set of materials and details inspired by a jet setting 1960s cool.

The residence taps into the hotel’s feeling of serenity and understated luxury. We imagined ourselves popping on a vinyl, soaking in the sax riffs and velvet vocals of Astrud Gilberto singing the words to ‘The girl from Ipanema’. An Old-Fashioned in hand – naturally.

Wren House Interiors

The interior tone of Wren House is centred around the property’s dual aspect views which feature a garden courtyard. This allows for generous daylight and cross ventilation through the home.

The living room feels cosy yet bright with its warm, textural palette and large windows. As a result, stylist Jess Kneebone selected soft leathers and curved shapes to support this vibe. The green leather Kubus sofa by Wittmann, the tan leather DS-80 day bed by de Sede and the cream bouclé Pumpkin armchair by Ligne Roset provide comfortable seating in which to socialise or zone out to vinyl tunes.

Meanwhile, in the open plan kitchen red brick and walnut tones sit comfortably against the black Intervalle dining table and velvet-mesh Unbeaumatin dining chairs by Ligne Roset. While, the bathroom showcases rich natural clay tones.

Wren House, Mt Martha takes the concept of a typical Australian beach house and tips it on its head. And the result? A relaxed, reimagined home with warm, understated luxury at its very core.

Project date: April 2022