Inspired by eco-designer Joost Bakker’s Future Food House, Harvest House’s clients set out to turn their workers’ cottage in Port Melbourne, on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country, into their own slice of self-sustaining life.
The clients had lived in the home for a few years, and although the garden faced north, the house didn’t take advantage of the sunny aspect. They turned to Breathe to transform their home into a light-filled, entertaining space, with pockets of gardens to both immerse themselves in nature and allow them to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
A key aspect that emerged from the first walk-through was to create vantage points to the outdoors as much as possible. For example, the defining long corridor was turned into a lightwell by the introduction of a courtyard. “We looked at creating a generous-sized courtyard in the centre of the plan to add greater amenity to more spaces in the house,” says Project Architect, Emily McBain. Now, the living area opens onto the courtyard, allowing it to be used directly as a path when the weather is nice.
As a home for entertaining, the cosy living room is set apart from the open-plan kitchen, dining, and external deck, embracing an intimate setting and quiet moments of retreat. “The central courtyard allows for this without compromising on the outlook to greenery, light and solar access,” says McBain.
For those rainier days, the corridor meanders around the courtyard and past the lightwell office, anchored by windows. When drawn, floor-to-ceiling textural curtains allow the space to become private if needed but, when pulled back, the working desk is holistically integrated within the house and internal courtyard.
Continuing along the corridor, the plan concludes in the expansive heart of the home — dedicated to growing, cooking and sharing food.
Set under the soaring gable roof, the kitchen’s stainless-steel counters are durable for entertaining and preserving — standing up against the likes of beetroot relish or blueberry jam. It effortlessly flows to a kitchen island and dining area, with an ample butler’s pantry tucked behind for storing a myriad of homemade delights.
The new addition aesthetically mirrors the heritage white weatherboard home, extending to a covered timber deck that evokes stepping into a greenhouse. The transparent roof allows light to flood into the interior spaces while providing the veggie garden ample sunrays to flourish in inner-city Melbourne. The kitchen is defined by these garden views, offering a daily reminder to harvest their goods.
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In the original architecture, even the bedrooms have their own connection to foliage via a third courtyard. Throughout, with the gardens the star of the show, the colour and material palette recede. Soft whites and muted greys are infused with green aspects, and timber is used on the floors and in the kitchen, bathroom, and office cabinetry. And with Breathe, of course, all the materials are either recycled or recyclable, as low in carbon and as circular as they can be.
Harvest House by Breathe reveals, in under 200 square metres, that life in the city can still connect to nature and a self-sustaining way of living, while also being a beautiful home to be well loved by the family who inhabit it.
