Royd Clan’s Autonomous House x Sculpt Fireplace Collection

Both off-the-grid and autonomous, this striking family farmhouse near Geelong in Victoria connects its occupants with nature and each other.
When the owners first bought – sight unseen – the 89-acre farm on which their home now sits, the rolling hills were covered in noxious boxthorn weed and the original stone farmhouse was in ruins.
With the help of Landcare, they set about clearing the invasive spiny shrubs and planted 2500 native trees in their place. Regenerating the land was important for homeowners Cam and Sally, who had both grown up in the country.

“I remember planting trees with my mother when I was a kid, and I just loved that you could create nature and a reserve over time and watch it grow; I’ve always loved that,” says Cam, an agricultural scientist.
He and Sally set aside 30 acres to do just that. “It’s been awesome watching the spotted gums grow, and actually quite quickly, really. It doesn’t take that long to change the landscape,” says Cam.

Inspirational project

When it came time to design a house for the farm, they turned to an architect they’d worked with before on a house in North Melbourne: Nadine Samaha from level architekture>konstrukt.

Drawing inspiration from the ruins, boulders and mythology of the picturesque property overlooking the Barrabool Hills near Geelong, Nadine got creative in designing an autonomous, off-the-grid home. The five pavilions making up the home emulate the boulders on the site, the clustered design welcoming natural light and cross-ventilation into all of them.

“It really integrates well with the land,” says Nadine. “With its shimmering cladding reflecting the trunks of the surrounding gum trees, it almost vanishes into the landscape.”

Nadine is passionate about creating spaces and forms that seamlessly connect with the natural world and support wellbeing. An advocate of biophilic design, Nadine mentors graduate architects, teaches Environmental Sustainable Design at RMIT, and chairs the Australian Institute of Architects’ Sustainable Architecture Forum – when she’s not designing incredible houses, that is.

Axis I1000FS SS

Handmade in the Rhone Alps region of France, the Axis I1000FS Single Sided wood fireplace is a display of geometric versatility and artisan engineered construction. The wood fireplace exudes a mesmerising display of flames and unsurpassed design excellence. With a heating capacity of up to 300m2 and an average efficiency of 66%, this unit is sure to stun in any space.

Fitted with DAFS (Double Air Flow System), this technology works by injecting oxygen at a determined level inside of the combustion chamber. The supply of new oxygen will burn the gases and smoke that has not yet been burnt and prevent them from being released into the flu system. The additional self-washing glass system feature, provides less CO2 emissions, creating longer fire term/burn time, cleaner glass and bricks and total combustion of the firewood.

To view the stunning French handcrafted Axis I1000FS Single Sided Fireplace, click here.