A Stunning Countryside House Designed for Ultimate Calm and Relaxation (House Tour)

A house designed for calm, Amaroo serves as a serene home for Mark and Ann Webber, established figures in motorsport. Shaun Lockyer Architects achieves the desired sense of tranquillity through a thorough pursuit of natural connection. Located north-west of Brisbane, Amaroo reflects a deep respect for the Australian landscape. Its name, which means ‘a beautiful place’, speaks to the feeling of reverence that the land continually inspires. “Our clients, Mark and Ann Webber, well known for their contribution to Australian motorsport, had a history with the site and really wanted to create a special, rural experience as an antidote to their otherwise very busy lives” says Shaun Lockyer, founder of Shaun Lockyer Architects. In a house designed for calm, the dynamic between the home and landscape is simple: without imposing upon the surrounds, the building opens itself to the gentle experience of place, both by promoting spatial flow and featuring natural materials. Influenced by the impressive life and legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright, Shaun Lockyer Architects presents Amaroo as a journey of discovery. Crossing a gravel courtyard, residents arrive at the front door, which opens into a mudroom that is often considered as the “functional heart” of a house designed to be enjoyed after walks across acres of land. The inviting character of the mudroom is determined by a warm timber ceiling upon which light bounces through large skylights, proposing an indoor-outdoor experience. A covered external courtyard joins the service pavilion to the main house. At 350 square metres, Amaroo is a relatively small house designed according to a crucifix floor plan. Following the shape of the home, internal zones delineate a garage, mudroom and guests’ space as well as a one-bedroom pavilion. “Designing an acreage home, we have the luxury of a lot of space around us and we don’t have any neighbours, which means that we can open up the edges of the house in very special and very different ways” says Lockyer. “The main bedroom is very deliberately positioned on the eastern side of the house, articulated with a cantilever that allows the room to gently float above the landscape as it rolls down towards the creek.” In terms of materiality, the palette is soothing, limited to natural stones, rich timbers and concrete. “The stone in this house is Eco Outdoor’s Luca, which is a beautiful, rough, textured product” says Lockyer. “I have the stone at my own home in Noosa, so it’s a product that I’ve lived with and enjoyed. When Mark and Ann came to my house and I showed them the product, not only did they identify with it, but they saw it as something really relevant to this place.” To animate the selected materials, Shaun Lockyer Architects takes a bold approach to application, creating a housed designed with as much variation as nature itself. Directly connected to the natural surrounds, Amaroo is a house designed to inspire calm. Using materiality to lead its celebration of context, Shaun Lockyer Architects champions a multisensory experience of the Australian landscape. 00:00 - Introduction to Countryside House 01:12 - Layout and Walkthrough of the Home 02:26 - Simple Material Palette Used in the Home 03:40 - The Luxury of Space 04:17 - Proud Moments For more from The Local Project: Instagram – Website – LinkedIn – Print Publication – Hardcover Book – The Local Project Marketplace – For more from The Local Production: Instagram – Website – LinkedIn – To subscribe to The Local Project’s tri-annual print publication see here – Photography by Pablo Veiga. Architecture and interior design by Shaun Lockyer Architects. Build by Envisage Building. Landscape design by Bluewater Landscaping. Filmed and edited by Dan Preston. Production by The Local Production. Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia The Local Project acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners 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. #House #Design #Calm