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$vuetify.icons.faPhone1300 650 620

Mid-century masterpiece

Mid-century masterpiece

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What began as a conventional house plan became something far more extraordinary when Abode Inspirations took over, transforming a challenging sloping site into an award-winning sanctuary.

Kerryn Ramsey

Senior Content Coordinator

When the clients of a new home in Victoria’s Wonga Park first began their building process, they already had a house design in hand. On paper, it seemed to meet their needs, but something wasn’t quite right. The plans ticked the practical boxes, yet the emotional connection simply wasn’t there.

That’s when they approached Melbourne design and construction firm Abode Inspirations, whose team would ultimately reimagine the project into an award-winning residence that responds beautifully to both site and lifestyle.

Co-director Mathew Fluck recalls that the turning point came when the design process became more collaborative. ‘This wasn’t just a build; it was a journey – one that began with listening and ended with a home that feels as good as it looks. We invited the clients to walk their land with us, observing how the light shifted, how the mountains held the horizon and how the silence carried meaning,’ says Mathew, who works with Co-director Glenn Hurley.
This award-winning residence responds beautifully to both site and lifestyle.
‘We invited the clients to walk their land with us, observing how the light shifted,’ says Mathew.

The steeply sloping site presented both design and engineering challenges. Careful planning was required to balance privacy, solar orientation and views across the surrounding landscape. The final design embraces the terrain with a series of carefully positioned pavilions, dramatic cantilevers and floating rooflines that appear to hover above the hillside.

Mid-century modern design principles underpin the architectural language, with horizontal forms, concrete and timber facades, and expansive glazing dissolving the boundary between inside and out. At the rear, floor-to-ceiling windows open fully to uninterrupted mountain views, while the entry sequence deliberately conceals the panorama before revealing it in a cinematic moment.

The final design embraces the terrain with a series of carefully positioned pavilions.
Floor-to-ceiling windows open fully to uninterrupted mountain views.

Sustainability was equally central to the design. Passive solar orientation, hydronic slab heating and cooling, solar generation and a back-up power system work together to deliver year-round efficiency and resilience in an area known for power outages.

The home’s design also reflects the clients’ lifestyle. Zoned living spaces support both family connection and privacy, while a hidden basement theatre and expansive entertaining areas allow for large gatherings.

One standout feature is the entertainment space resembling a nightclub and bar.
Zoned living spaces support both family connection and privacy.
The result is a shapely residence that sits comfortably within its landscape. The project’s design and execution earned it the 2026 HIA Australian Residential Design award – an especially notable achievement given the category was introduced for the first time this year.
Abode receiving their prize for the 2026 HIA Australian Residential Design.

One stand-out feature of the home is an entertainment space described by HIA judges as resembling a nightclub and bar. This demonstrates Adobe Inspirations’ willingness to personalise the home to its owners’ passions.

That ability to listen to clients is a defining strength of the whole Abode Inspirations team. By translating personal aspirations into architectural form, they deliver homes that are both technically sophisticated and deeply personal.

View all award winners

Abode Inspirations reimaged the home from its original design.
The ability to listen to clients is a defining strength of this firm.

At a glance

Builder

Abode Inspirations

Landscaping

Natures Best Landscapes

Materials:

Partnered by

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