Tristan Burfield's No 41 house pushes occupants into Australian landscape

Architect Tristan Burfield has completed No 41, a rural house in Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, designed to push its occupants outdoors. The 2.5-hectare property, surrounded by indigenous greenery, vineyards, and farms, originally hosted invasive Monterey Pines introduced in the 19th century. Burfield removed these and worked with landscape specialist Sam Cox to create a native garden centered on a large pond. The house uses a restrained palette of grey brick, black shou sugi ban spotted gum cladding, and warm brown cypress. Interiors feature generous ceiling heights and large openings framing the landscape. A central circulation space splits the ground floor into kitchen and living areas. Upstairs holds a primary bedroom suite and study with elevated terraces, while a wing contains guest rooms. Burfield states the design took a backseat to the landscape, literally and figuratively pushing occupants outside.