The beauty of less.
Bittern Cabin by Nic Morgante
What happens when a small cabin is designed to recede into the trees? Located within a low-lying forest in Bittern on the Mornington Peninsula, this compact retreat by Nic Morgante sits quietly beneath dense canopies, shaped as much by restraint as by the land itself.
Approached along a gravel track, the cabin reveals itself gradually, raised lightly above the forest floor. A cantilevered verandah marks the edge of human intervention, beyond which the bush remains uninterrupted.
Inside, all functions are pushed to the perimeter, allowing the central space to remain open and adaptable. Operable shutters, charred timber and a muted palette of timber and stainless steel enable the cabin to respond to light, weather and season, reconnecting daily life with the surrounding landscape.
Can a “less but better” approach create a richer home? In Separation Creek, along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, MGAO designed a 90m² retreat for his family where restraint and the essentials are not limitations, but the source of its richness.
Can a darker interior draw your eye toward the garden? On a steep site in Coburg North, Sonelo Architects transform a modest brick dwelling into a family home where the landscape becomes the brightest and most defining element.
What happens when architecture steps back and lets the landscape lead? Reworking an original 1980s house by Dan Callaghan in Brisbane, Nielsen Jenkins shaped a home that sits quietly within its bushland setting.
How do you redefine a Mount Martha beach house? Wolveridge Architects takes a more inward approach, shaping a courtyard home that replaces ocean views with calm and connection.
Anchored by a mature magnolia, a contemporary extension to an Edwardian home is reimagined as a calm, light-filled family home of softness and durability.
With a palette of timber, stone and bagged brick, the home feels enduring and quietly connected to its coastal landscape.
Rooted in Shady Creek’s agricultural vernacular, this farmhouse is embedded in the working life of the property, being practical, durable and quietly refined.
Pop Architecture transforms a neglected Victorian in North Fitzroy by drawing on the layered history of the site, where a relocated entry, natural materials and garden-led spaces offer a grounded, enduring sense of home.
Faced with the challenge of a south-facing backyard, this thoughtful addition reorients the Victorian terrace around a central courtyard, drawing in northern light and creating a quiet dialogue between daily life and the garden beyond.
Australia’s coastline has long shaped the way we live, offering moments of reflection and a quieter understanding of our landscape and history.
Situated on a 45m² site in suburban Tokyo, this small vertical home reimagines city living.
Houses offer a different way of living, where two homes share a garden, and the space between becoming part of daily life.
Mid-century modern design, emerging in the 1940s/50s, revolutionised architecture, focusing on simplicity and innovation.
How do you achieve a sustainable home? Is it the orientation, materials, and all the technology, such as solar panels, or is it simply doing less?
Minimalist architecture and interior design receive a lot of criticism, with homes often referred to as hospital rooms, soulless, unhomely, cold, depressing... But is it possible to make minimalism more inviting?