Located within Wadawurrung Country, Portarlington house on the Bellarine Peninsula plays with humble gable forms to create a compact yet spacious house for evolving family needs.

Arrival is marked at the street, by a brick letter box, lowering to down to form the spine that guides one into the literal hearth of the house – the fireplace which is centred between the living and dining spaces within. The light brick colour imbues a sense of the local limestone geology and references the Portarlington history where this local limestone contributed to the manufacture of ‘fire bricks.’ A wall of joinery frames the entry, its occasional apertures providing visual connection and layering to the open and closed storage of the living space. Finishes are simple and fresh throughout, with white to maximise light and timber trims and windows providing warmth throughout

Photography by © Tatjana Plitt