Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

This Australian Beach House is a Modern-Day Seaside Villa

Jahla Seppanen
By

For god’s sake, don’t get a cheesy beach house in Miami… you’ll regret it.

Recommended Videos

Instead, escape across the globe to the remote Mornington Peninsula region of Victoria, Australia, where this perfect modern beach house sits unbothered by guidos or aggressive seagulls.

Related

Designed by architects Ola Studio of Melbourne, the beach house Martha is the epitome of summer vacation houses, satisfying our need to retreat and float away for a while.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The single story, four-bedroom structure sits literally at the cusp of the water, perched in a calm and quiet nook of the Mornington Peninsula. The majority of visitors to this area are looking to escape to wineries and calm beaches, so there’s no need to fear obnoxious frat bros on your only break during the year.

The lack of housing clutter in the area allowed architects to build a horizontally expansive and robust dwelling with jaw-dropping views of the Peninsula. The sensation is one of extreme privacy, yet tremendous openness… which you won’t get with the majority of beach houses found in popular summer spots around the world.

Ola Studio built Martha on a sloped site, allowing the structure to blend into its wide landscape. The effect of this is nothing short of the illusion of floating. And this airy design seeps into your pores and gives new meaning to the term vacation. It also helps that the house was built in three zones that separate a parent’s area, kids or guest zone, and a living/kitchen space that opens up to the coastal views. This blending of intimate and social is spot freakin’ on.

And while the beach house is light, it was built strong enough to withstand the effects of its natural coastal surrounding.

Taking into account the extreme weather conditions that can hit this local, Ola Studio concealed Martha’s windows behind operable timber shutters and various screens to give the retreat all-season usability. One detail we love: when the shutters are open they can be manipulated into various framed views, letting the sunshine pour into the space from a multitude of perspectives.

We’re also drooling over the use of natural Australian timber hardwood for the external cladding and the way the sand literally meets you at the back door.

Last but not least… what’s a beach house without a pool?

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jahla Seppanen
Jahla Seppanen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Born and raised off-the-grid in New Mexico, Jahla Seppanen is currently a sports, fitness, spirits, and culture writer in…
The Night Agent season 2: Everything we know so far
We'll get you ready for The Night Agent season 2!
Luciane Buchanan and Gabriel Basso in The Night Agent.

The Night Agent may not be everyone's choice to be among the best shows on Netflix, but it's in the top ten for us! The Shield creator Shawn Ryan adapted Matthew Quirk's spy action thriller, The Night Agent, for Netflix in 2023, and it proved to be a hit out of the gate. By Netflix's internal metrics, it's the sixth-highest viewed series in the history of the platform.

Those kind of numbers mean that a second season was inevitable, and Netflix made it official just over a week after The Night Agent premiered. Since the series is back in production, the details about what's coming up on the show have started to trickle out. To help you stay on top of this series, here's everything we know about The Night Agent season 2.
What is The Night Agent about?

Read more
The 10 best Dominican cigars I’ve tried and tested in 2024
Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Every seasoned cigar lover has a preference for where their cigars come from. Cuban and Cuban cigars are the more obvious choices, but there is also Nicaraguan tobacco, Central African, Indonesian, Mexican, Ecuadorian, and Dominican. Some tobacco is even grown in the United States. Each region has a distinct flavor profile that adds a little something extra to the tobacco grown locally, as well as the cigars made there. The Dominican Republic is prized by many connoisseurs because of exactly this -- a rich, unique profile that enhances Dominican-grown cigars. That's in no small part due to the fertile soil and thriving climate of the region, which is ideal for tobacco growth and cultivation. If you've never tried a Dominican cigar, you're in for a real treat, there are some fantastic options out there.
The best Dominican cigars I've tried

Out of all the cigar guides I've put together so far, this one was one of the more interesting experiences for me. I had a great time trying out Dominican cigars, and I've definitely come away with an appreciation for blends made in the region. I'd also like to point out that Corey Suarez helped recommend some of these. If you haven't tried the JR Cigars or Cigars.com concierge service yet, you really should. Here's a little more about all of the best Dominican cigars I've tried:
Ashton Symmetry

Read more
The 12 best Connecticut cigars I’ve tried and tested in 2024
Best Connecticut cigars up close and personal

Connecticut cigars are the clear winner for smoking on a hot summer day, in the morning with some coffee, or when you just don't want a swift kick in the teeth (of pepper). There's no shortage of options, either. Connecticut shade wrappers are one of the most prevalent in the world of cigars, and it's certainly the most common natural shade. Maduro is also popular, but the two wrapper types couldn't be any more different. Connecticut wrappers, and by proxy Connecticut cigars, are typically mild to medium in strength and brimming with creamy, smooth flavors. They're composed of tobacco leaves grown in the Connecticut River Valley in the United States -- which is where the name Connecticut comes from. Consistent and flavorful, some of the best beginner-friendly cigars are Connecticut-wrapped, but you should never sell them short. A Connecticut shade cigar can be just as refined, elegant, and premium as any other. If you know where to look, you may even find some of your favorite blends in the category across a wide range of brands and cigar makers.

I'm about to take you on a magical, doughy, and delicious trek through the broad range of Connecticut cigars. In short, here are the best Connecticut cigars tried and tested by a genuine enthusiast of the craft: yours truly.
The best Connecticut cigars I've tried and tested
While the Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is considered a Connecticut shade, I did my best to steer clear of recommending them for this list. They're better classified as a Maduro shade or darker cigar. That doesn't mean you should avoid them, quite the contrary. But for this list, I wanted to stick to smooth, relaxing smokes that are strong on flavor but not quite so strong on pepper and spice. I also tried not to choose a lot of repeats. If you see your favorite cigar missing, that might be because it was recommended on another list or it just didn't make the cut. If you have any recommendations of your own, I'm always available through social media or email. Without further ado, let's get this thing started.
Aganorsa Leaf Connecticut

Read more