There is nothing as much fun as gushing over a gorgeous home – least of all because you’re not the one who has to worry about the mortgage! Well for your property pleasure, following are 10 of the most amazing, awe-inspiring and beautiful homes in Australia, perhaps you’ll be inspired to update your place?
1. Glenburn House
We are all becoming more energy conscious and working hard to reduce our carbon footprint, and while all new homes in Australia must meet a five star energy rating, there are some homes which go well beyond five stars and do it in style. Glenburn House has been built in a Victorian hillside and has been specially designed to be easy to heat in winter and easy to keep cool in summer, and while Victoria doesn’t get the harshest of the Australian summer, it’s still important to keep cool.
Glenburn House integrates eco-friendly technologies into the home, for example the property uses solar panels to generate electricity and heat the water, and includes advanced rainwater collections systems.
2. St Andrews Beach House
Built on the Mornington Peninsular of Victoria, the owners of this unique Australian home have cleverly found one of the few places in the country where construction is allowed on the foreshore. In the shape of a rectangular prism the St Andrews Beach House is isolated, well appointed, modern and unique – everything you could want in a home. And of course the home offers unobstructed views out into the Southern Ocean.
While the house is cooled in summer, the owners have specifically designed it so that to move from room to room, you must go outside and back in again. This is to give the owners a bit of a ‘reality check’ after the artificial cooling systems they have endured in the office all week long.
3. North Carlton Green House
The owners of this beautiful Australian house wanted to feel connected to the landscape and the sun and so have integrated plants and even a rooftop garden into the design. Also, to reduce their carbon footprint, the owners have focussed on passive cooling and heating by ensuring large north-facing windows for natural ventilation and having a two storey void which acts as a thermal chimney. The rooftop garden also helps to insulate the rooms below from the sun.
4. Cape Schank House
Cape Schank House looks like a work of art, and so perhaps it is no surprise that the house was named after hosting an art exhibition called The Schanck Show. The house is very exposed to the elements and so has been integrated into its environment, and cleverly designed to be cooled. Large wind scoops on the southern side of the home trap cool breezes and provide shade, while the rainwater tank which supplies the house’s water, is also recessed into the living room ceiling acting as both the load bearer, and for cooling the ambient temperature of the air.
5. Surf Coast House
If you are looking for inspiration for a modern Australian home, the Surf Coast House is the embodiment of your modern imaginings. The building pushes the boundaries of unique design and uses striking wooden cladding to make the house feel like a home, but also cuts out windows and doors to create living artworks in the wall, using the outside views. The owners have used bright and sometime bold colours to decorate but the space is open plan living at its best.
6. Pre-built Mod House
When everyone is demanding something unique, one-off, bespoke designed or one of a kind, you may be surprised to see a pre-fabricated Australian home on the list. These sort of kit homes are not only very affordable but they have a modern, simple look which you can easily make your own. The plans are designed as a modular system so they fit together easily, but you can still choose the configuration and number of rooms. Plus the materials give you stunning, clean lines which are certainly not going to blend in with your neighbours.
7. Caulfield Solar House
There is something simply elegant about a raked ceiling and the Caulfield Solar House has used high ceilings not only as a designer feature, but also as part of their larger plan for an environmentally friendly Australian home. The home is oriented north to keep out hot summer sun, but let in warm winter rays. The courtyards of the home also act as cross ventilations in summer, and they work in conjunction with the internal two storey void around the home’s staircase, which allows heat to escape. There are also underground heating and rainwater collection systems, and the swimming pool doubles as a heat sink, and uses the excess heat generated by the solar power system.
8. Kylie Minogue
Yes, she’s gorgeous, stylish and modern so you wouldn’t expect anything less from the home of this Australian superstar. Luckily for you Kylie is looking at selling the home she owns on a French Island, just a two hour boat ride from Melbourne. Kylie recovered from breast cancer here and the residence has had solar and wind power installations added, as well as organic fruit and vegetable gardens.
9. Olivia Newton-John
Another Australian super star whose house you can admire right here. Newton-John actually owns a spa retreat which you can stay in to refresh in the beachside atmosphere, enjoying the tropical gardens and views into the New South Wales hills. You can be pampered and massaged and revitalised in the modern, oriental-inspired rooms.
10. Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe’s holiday house is a ranch in New South Wales, which Crowe is defensively secretive about. When he married Danielle Spencer in 2003, we all got a glimpse into his private life as the wedding took place in a specially built chapel on the property – how romantic!
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