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.

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.

Alpine House pares life back to its essentials, where black stained plywood, refined detailing and expansive glazing offer a quiet retreat above Myrtleford, shaped by the needs of its designer.

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.

Behind a beloved family home, this compact laneway dwelling balances sustainability, density and ageing-in-place while pairing material honesty with spatial generosity.