3 Video Views·Jun 3, 2025
Perched on a grassy knoll in Sorrento, a moody aesthetic from interior decorator Simone Haag and rugged materials offset a minimalist, brutalist expression inside a modern home by Travis Walton Architecture.
Conceived alongside Bear Agushi, homeowner, builder and director of Agushi Constructions, the brief called for a coastal family retreat, where stepping inside a modern home not only feels luxurious but also reveals views of the bay, Melbourne’s city skyline and the nearby golf course. “We were inspired by Sorrento’s striking natural beauty, and we wanted to reflect that in the architecture and, from a holistic approach, bring that into the interiors,” says Travis Walton, design principal at Travis Walton Architecture.
Approaching the house from the street, one is met by a ‘castle wall’ made from off-form concrete. Inside a modern home like Norfolk, views take centrestage. A reverse-living layout relies on an elevated podium-like structure, with a concrete sculptural staircase leading to the centre of the main living space where one is met with panoramic vistas.
Robust materials are favoured, echoing and withstanding the weathered beauty of the Victorian coastline. External-grade paving is used for flooring, offering a worn-in aesthetic mixed against an otherwise soft, minimalist brutalist palette. “The brutal, rough texture of the off-form concrete is offset by the warm tones of the natural timber cladding,” says Walton. “We wanted something that would mimic the texture of the off-form concrete in the surrounding walls, so we used timber flooring from Made by Storey’s Touch collection … the dark natural hues are the perfect complement to our material palette.”
Joinery and finishes are subtle and reductive, dominated by aged metal, blackened steel and dark stones to create a raw, unfussy feel. “A lot of what went into this house was me using my hands, staying here night after night and crafting things just to be able to get the finishes that I knew I wanted, like the patina around the staircase or the brass installation around the cabinetry,” says Agushi.
Furniture, art, objects and styling channel a slightly tribal aesthetic while remaining grounded in a less-is-more approach. Inside a modern home like Norfolk, “we wanted to bring pieces that you wouldn't ordinarily associate with a beach house,” says interior decorator Simone Haag. “We love the Mexican chairs, we love having flow and drama and the slow reveal of pieces and a really quiet palette that doesn't take away from the environment that surrounds the house,” says Haag.
A welcome departure from a regular beach house, Norfolk courageously reinterprets the beach house vernacular through balancing brutalist architecture with carefully curated interiors inside a modern home. “This is a house that’s going to wear in and patina and evolve over time, rather than wear out, and I like to think of architecture as something that stands the test of time,” reflects Walton. Agushi adds; “I hope that this is a property that my family can enjoy for generations.”
This is the third project we've done with Bear. So in developing the design together
there is a lot of dialogue and trust in that process of collaboration. We wanted to create
a coastal family home for him and so we set off developing the floor plan
in a way that would maximise the views of this site.
My name is Travis Walton. I'm the design principal of
Travis Walton Architecture and Interior Design and I was the design lead for Norfolk House.
Sorrento is a coastal headland on the Mornington Peninsula,
about 60 kilometres southeast of Melbourne, Victoria.
We were inspired by Sorrento's striking natural beauty and we wanted to reflect that
in the architecture and on a holistic approach bring that into the interiors.
The site is 2400 square metres and rises seven metres from the road through an established
landscape of Moona Woodlands. You are led to believe that the building is merely just a
concrete wall with the upper level fully recessed from view. But once you're in that compound and
behind the concrete wall the property starts to open up and the landscape courtyards flow
in from the side in this unexpected way. Once in the home you arrive at a central
void with a sculptural off-form concrete stair and the natural light filters down
from a double-story void and creates this beautiful sense of arrival.
As you ascend that sculptural form and arrive at the top level the property opens up across
the top of the Moona tree line and the views of the infinity edge pool and the treetops
and the horizon view beyond all blend together seamlessly. I'm Bear Agushi of Agushi Group,
we are at Norfolk House which I built for my family and I.
Our families have never had a beach house before so to be able to provide this is just something
that makes me feel so thrilled. I have the ability to just come down here and release
and I feel so grateful to be able to have this space to get away and enjoy.
A lot of what went into this house was me using my hands and staying here night after
night and crafting things just to be able to get the finishes that I knew that I wanted.
So when you're looking at things like the patinaed steel around the staircase which
was such a complex thing to do even though it looks so simple or the brass installation
around the cabinetry it was awesome to be part of it because I knew that I could secure the
quality and also maintain some level of budget. We chose concrete to be an extensive material
throughout the house because it not only provides a robust feeling structurally but it also looks
beautiful from an aesthetic perspective and whilst concrete on its own can appear cold
once you pair it up with these amazing finishes which Travis has done such as the luxe stones
and the warm timber palette it really makes the house feel livable and calm and warm.
We created a palette of rich materials and then within that process of creating neophorm concrete
we wanted something that would mimic the texture in the surrounding walls and we came up with
using a high quality timber flooring product and we knew that Made by Astorias Touch Collection
had the most natural dark hues on the market and would be a perfect complement to our material
palette. I think I respect the brutal and rough texture of the off-form concrete but it's offset
by the warm tones of the natural timber cladding. My name is Simone Haig and I'm a decorator and
my studio brought a layer of furniture, art, object and styling to the project.
We always draw influence from the architecture and there were many chats between Bear and Travis
and myself. We wanted to bring pieces in from all four corners of the globe that hadn't been seen
and pieces that you wouldn't ordinarily associate with a beach house. We loved the Mexican chairs
that we brought in, we love having flow and drama and the slow reveal of pieces and a really quiet
palette that doesn't take away from the environment that surrounds the house.
These houses really inspired us to draw upon different influences, it's been incredible to
bring our layer to it. Coming here not just as a decorator but as a friend and spending time in
the house you know you really can appreciate the beauty of what's been created here and I'm so proud
to be part of it. I'm most proud of the technical work we achieved in this project, the collaboration
with Bear and the Agushi team allowed us to create things that we wouldn't usually be able to achieve.
This is something that's going to wear in and patina and evolve over time rather than wear
out and I like to think of architecture as being something that stands the test of time.
The house has been built like a fortress using some of the most robust materials because the
environment here is so harsh and I'm really hoping that this is a property that my family
can enjoy for generations to come.
