The sum of things.
For a couple who have bought and flipped properties for a living, designing and building their own family home offered the creative team a chance to practice what they preach. Now they could stop, relax, breathe and take it all in. At least for a while.
There’s a lot of timber at Olive Cooke and Henry Tervenski’s Field House in Ewingsdale, just inland from Byron Bay. In fact, there’s 8000 linear metres of spotted gum cladding that allows the home to slink into its environment. Exuding craft and personality, the idiosyncratically Australian tones and exacting application of Field House’s exterior provides a glimpse into what this husband-and-wife team have produced inside.
At first, the inspirations are quiet, there are Japanese influences; seen in the panelled, louvre-like windows; in the mixes of timber and grain, and one could argue, in the large timber framed sliding doors that open the sides of the house. Of course, the closer you get, more is revealed, the subtle level changes and built in furniture set the scene for special moments and throwbacks to the best of mid-century design.
On the right day, at the right time, light and shadow work hand in hand with the angles and apertures their architect, Fraser Mudge envisioned. The slats and the louvres, corners and edges all conspire to deliver beautiful moments of contemplation that wouldn’t feel out of place as a shot in Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story.
“There's something really beautiful about the first year of living in your own home,” says Olive Cooke, “as the seasons change, you see that light change throughout the home.”
Furniture is an eclectic mix of old and new, bespoke and collected, all adding personality and depth. That the dining table was Henry’s grandmas is a great example. Add the miscellaneous collection of dining chairs to evoke haphazard family gatherings and a kind of theme starts to take shape. Everything is warm, tactile, textural. Whether timber, steel or Laminex, it’s hard not to want to run your hand over everything. Where stone has been used it feels fitting and maintains the quiet ethos. Found in the bathroom and on the hearth, it’s neither showy nor splashy, demonstrating the resolve and reserve of Olive and Henry’s influences. There’s no place for white in this home. Every colour is considered and applied with laser like focus yet comes off as easy and welcoming.
Laminex selections slide in with comfortable aplomb and claim to the space, never taking away or hiding their intent. In the kitchen Laminex Platypus’s blackened earth tones rise from the walnut floors in perfect agreement with the razor thin stainless-steel benchtop. Behind the island, ceiling height cupboards hide vast amounts of amenities, equipment and the sins of accumulation a young family encounters.
On the inside of the island, Laminex Kalamata is a lovely counterpoint, but not the only surprise the kitchen and home deliver. Open the doors and drawers and the pop of Laminex Just Blue and Kalamata will deliver smiles for years to come and a great reminder that your cabinetry carcasses need not be white.
Bedroom wardrobes and laundry cabinetry carry the same playfulness, this time clad externally in Laminex French Cream to create lightness, reflection, and harmony with the timber features throughout. Internally, Laminex Platypus and Laminex Kalamata brings drama and fun to every outfit change and decision. The byproduct is durability and longevity – and clearly chosen with that in mind – but Olive and Henry never waiver from their aesthetic purpose.
“It is a really nice process working together and being our own client because things can evolve and as you have ideas, you can just play off each other rather than having to have things signed off in a more manufactured way,” says Olive of her process.
“There's always the challenge of sticking within parameters that are practical and obviously budget and things like that. But I have a builder for a partner, we’re a good team and it’s a good system we have,” laughs Olive.
Field House is a uniquely Australian proposition, it sits amongst the bush, it’s barn like shape and proportions reminiscent of our place in the country. But like Australia, we are made up of many things, and these influences and ingredients can’t be separated from who we are and what we do. Olive and Henry have combined all this into one beautifully imagined, designed and built home, the sharp creases and precise nature of Henry’s building bely its approachability and warmth.
Like a Japanese home that has softened over the years with hundreds of steps and countless touches, Field House will too. Time will add depth and its colours will change; the beauty is the process. Durability and longevity aren’t just buzz words; they are the purpose and the point. This is a home that embraces its introspective and meditative qualities, the day to day, the joy in the moment, the transient nature of time and life.
“Everyone said that when you marry a builder, you never stop moving, but it definitely feels like our family home and we’re really settled. I can't imagine myself wanting to move anytime soon,” finishes Olive.
Watch the full video feature at The Local Project and order samples from Olive's home below.
Credits:
Interior Design: Olive Cooke
Build: Morada Build
Architect: Fraser Mudge
Landscape Design: Cooke Landscape Design
Photographer: Jessie Prince & Tom Ross
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