Inside an Architect-Designed Dream Home Wrapped in Terracotta (House Tour)

Located in an established Melbourne suburb, Terracotta House captures what it means to live inside an architect-designed dream home. Originally a much-loved family house, the transformation by Lande Architects navigates between memory and modernity, blending new functionality with a strong sense of place. Rooted in Australian sensibilities, the home reinterprets the clients’ rural upbringing through a palette of natural materials, regional references and timeless craftsmanship.

The brief was modest: an update to suit the evolving needs of a family of five living inside an architect-designed dream home. What emerged was a spatially efficient and emotionally layered response, balancing the nostalgia of the existing structure with a light-touch extension. The outcome prioritises flow, warmth and natural connection, anchored by three distinct communal zones: the kitchen, the living area and the sunken dining room. A subtle shift in level between spaces creates intimacy and formality without closing off the open-plan configuration. The dining space, lowered into the garden, becomes a gesture of immersion, inviting the outdoors in through large apertures and modest scale.

Terracotta defines both the new and the old inside an architect-designed dream home. Inspired by Marseille roof tiles, Lande Architects selected SK1N cladding by Brickworks to unify the existing and added elements in a seamless skin. Its matte finish and natural variation allow the extension to quietly recede into its suburban context – a design move that honours the site’s established character rather than competing with it. From the street, it’s a home that reveals itself gradually – almost camouflaged – until one steps inside and encounters the full expression of lived architecture.

The material narrative continues inside an architect-designed dream home, with warm timbers, rusted tones and tactile stone. Custom pieces, such as a bespoke dining table by Made by Morgen, add to the tailored atmosphere, offering solutions as practical as they are elegant. The design celebrates restraint, with each intervention deliberately calibrated to maximise spatial generosity without increasing the footprint unnecessarily. Upstairs, what was once an underused living space is converted into individual bedrooms for each child – transforming excess into equity.

Throughout, the home reflects an ethos of quiet confidence. It is a project that favours intention over statement, where light, layout and material form the language of daily rituals. For the family, it is not just a renovation but a reimagining of the original spirit of the home – an architectural gesture that both preserves and progresses.

In offering a clear and grounded vision, this project exemplifies what it means to be inside an architect-designed dream home. Rather than overwrite the past, it converses with it, creating a setting that feels both familiar and newly invigorated. It’s a place where memory, function and beauty meet – an enduring space shaped by care and collaboration.

00:00 - Introduction to Architect-Designed Dream Home
01:12 - Inspirations and Material Palette
02:19 - The Heart of the Home
02:54 - Walkthrough and Layout
04:15 - Sunken Dining Room
05:02 - Edwardian Influences
05:20 - Proud Moments

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Photography by Anson Smart.
Architecture and interior design by Lande Architects.
Build by BCF Built.
Landscape design by Ben Scott Garden Design.
Stone and tiles by Artedomus and Tiles of Ezra.
SK1N terracotta cladding by Brickworks.
Dining table by Made by Morgen.
Appliances by Sub-Zero & Wolf Appliances.
Filmed and edited by Ryan Wehi.
Production by The Local Production.

Location: Malvern, Victoria, Australia

The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land in Australia. We recognise the importance of Indigenous peoples in the identity of our country and continuing connections to Country and community. We pay our respect to Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Indigenous people of these lands.

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