{"id":226632,"date":"2025-10-20T10:19:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T10:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/226632\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T10:19:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T10:19:15","slug":"windowless-facade-conceals-quiet-grandeur-of-woodend-bungalow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/226632\/","title":{"rendered":"Windowless facade conceals “quiet grandeur” of Woodend bungalow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Living spaces richly finished with varieties of Italian marble lie behind the opaque facade of this house<\/a> in Victoria<\/a>, Australia, conceived by designer David Hicks.<\/p>\n

Woodend house is located in Macedon Ranges, a region of Victoria characterised by sprawling forests and rolling hillsides.<\/p>\n

\"WindowlessWoodend house has a windowless facade<\/p>\n

Inspiration for the home’s design, however, stems from European vernacular architecture, in particular the villas seen across the French, Tuscan, and Puglian countryside.<\/p>\n

“I was inspired by European villas as they can have a very simple architectural style, punctuated by French doors and embellished just enough to make them pretty,” David Hicks<\/a> told Dezeen. “Neither hyper-minimalist nor overtly rustic, Woodend achieves a harmonious balance of nostalgic architectural references and quiet grandeur, complementing the home’s rural setting.”<\/p>\n

\"WoodendThe entry vestibule connects to a central corridor, which leads to all the home’s other rooms<\/p>\n

The one-storey home belongs to an older couple downsizing from their previous property devised by Hicks, which also had a windowless facade.<\/p>\n

“In many of my architectural projects I have opted to have no windows on the front facade. I like this style of anonymity, of not knowing what lies beyond, it creates intrigue,” explained Hicks.<\/p>\n

“As I design from the inside out I like to orientate the rooms away from facing the front; this provides privacy and allows you to experience the home as you enter, not before.”<\/p>\n

\"WoodendA relaxed study and sitting area serves as the home’s “retreat”<\/p>\n

As the front facade of Woodhouse is also void of any doors, access is instead granted through a wrought-iron arched gate to the side of the house. This is followed by a portico, which leads into an entrance vestibule.<\/p>\n

The walls here, as throughout the rest of the home, have been rendered in micro cement and then limewashed to give off a “stone-like tacitility”. A vintage chandelier crafted from ruched slivers of Murano glass hangs from a circular recess in the ceiling.<\/p>\n

\"WoodendIn the bedroom, storage is concealed behind lacquered panels<\/p>\n

The vestibule connects to a long corridor, from which all the other rooms branch off.<\/p>\n

This includes a relaxed study-cum-sitting area that the studio refers to as “the retreat”. It features an Eames lounge chair, a multi-armed light by French designer Serge Mouille, and a fireplace with a Ceppo marble surround.<\/p>\n

The same marble has been used to make shelves in two arched display niches that have been created in the wall.<\/p>\n

\"WoodendCalacatta marble covers surfaces in the ensuite bathroom<\/p>\n

A set of double doors links to the principal bedroom, which has been finished with plush decor pieces, including a velvet rug, a satiny headboard and fluted glass wall sconces.<\/p>\n

Storage, meanwhile, is concealed behind white lacquered panels.<\/p>\n

\"WoodendThe bathroom adjoins a small courtyard that’s centred by a maple tree<\/p>\n

It also has an ensuite bathroom, in which surfaces are lined with pale Calacatta marble.<\/p>\n

Huge sliding glazed doors have been inserted at the back of the space, providing views through to a small brick courtyard that’s centred by a miniature maple tree.<\/p>\n

\"WoodendWhite and baby pink furnishings feature in the formal lounge area<\/p>\n

In the larger, more formal living room, a couple of white armchairs have been paired with a curved baby pink sofa. Sheer linen curtains veil French doors that open onto the garden.<\/p>\n

The kitchen sits towards the back of this space, comprising simple white cabinetry and a Calacatta marble breakfast island.<\/p>\n

In the home’s powder room, the studio has used Ceppo marble again, applying the strikingly patterned stone across the walls, floor, and washbasin.<\/p>\n

\"WoodendStriking Ceppo marble lines the home’s powder room<\/p>\n

There are several other Australian homes that feature eye-catching facades. Recent examples include the Birdwood house by architect Peter Besley, which sits behind a perforated screen of terracotta brick and metal mesh<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There’s also Bangalow Road House by Son Studio, which is fronted by a wall of timber louvres<\/a>, referencing the aesthetic of traditional wooden beach shacks.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Shannon McGrath<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Living spaces richly finished with varieties of Italian marble lie behind the opaque facade of this house in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":226633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,2840,64740,49,48,356,75,4050,49626,49627,51145,18581],"class_list":{"0":"post-226632","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-australian-houses","13":"tag-ca","14":"tag-canada","15":"tag-design","16":"tag-entertainment","17":"tag-houses","18":"tag-sectionall","19":"tag-sectionarchitecture","20":"tag-sectioninteriors","21":"tag-victoria"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=226632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/226632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=226632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=226632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=226632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}