Mersea is a newly-built home in Port Willunga that embodies the look and soul of a long-established seaside shack within the coastal city, situated 45 minutes south of Adelaide.
The home belongs to artist Tristan Kerr and his French associate Candice, who deliberate on creating their household dwelling on the beforehand vacant web site.
Tristan explains, ‘Each of us had been dwelling in giant cities — first in Paris the place we met, then in Melbourne — earlier than we determined to pursue a brand new life nearer to the coast and neighborhood the place we might really feel extra grounded.
‘I already had a deep connection to the realm, having grown up browsing right here.’
The household’s circumstances have modified, which suggests the property is now out there to let as short-term lodging many of the yr.
Candice and Tristan labored with structure agency Skein to design the four-bedroom dwelling in a method consistent with the native structure.
At first look, one might simply mistake the predominantly timber, single-storey construction as an authentic seaside shack from the ‘60s, albeit with some extra luxurious options and sustainable upgrades.
Tristan discusses the imaginative and prescient, ‘Port Willunga seaside, with its stays of the previous Port Jetty and the Star of Greece shipwreck seen at low tide, provides a wealthy historic backdrop that vastly influenced the design of the house.
‘We had been drawn to the variety of housing inventory, together with the straightforward seaside shacks that dot the realm that helped inform the relaxed strategy to the design.’
One other keystone of the challenge was making a connection between indoors and out, permitting the occupants to embrace year-round coastal dwelling.
‘This has helped us keep in tune with our surroundings —whether or not it’s inviting us exterior or signalling the arrival of the cool sea breeze,’ says Tristan.
‘We needed the design to embody a way of place that displays the pure fantastic thing about the encompassing panorama celebrating uncooked, pure supplies with considerate architectural detailing.’
The home additionally integrates passive design and sustainable options (rainwater harvesting, composting, and native landscaping) to supply ongoing environmental and monetary advantages.
Regionally sourced supplies have been used wherever doable. For instance, Tristan (who was concerned within the building course of) milled the timber cladding and exterior structural timber from unused cypress pine logs from windbreaks within the Adelaide Hills.
From the challenge’s starting to finish — it’s been a collaborative journey to create Mersea.
‘We designed, created, and collaborated with associates and folks we all know within the business to convey the imaginative and prescient of the home and interiors collectively,’ says Tristan.
‘We’re pleased with this strategy—it’s been a significant and enriching expertise, leading to an consequence that feels really genuine to us.’
The identify ‘Mersea’ itself is a cheeky nod to Candice’s French heritage.
Guide your keep at Mersea
