Leader Reef is a project designed by Britt White Studio. Greige and dated. This single level house in Bright, Victoria, was a product of its time. Built in 2010 for a retired couple with a love of country style, Leader Reef failed to capitalise on its location and surroundings. Purchased by a couple in their 30s, able to see the potential of strong foundational elements, Britt White Studio was engaged to drive a complete renovation of the property, modernising the aesthetic of the home to their own style and taste. Drawing inspiration from the mountainous surroundings, the result is an open plan home in a Scandinavian alpine style – a moody second home that is perfect for winter snow getaways and entertaining. Photography by Devlin Azzie.
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The clients, an entrepreneurial couple from Melbourne with the pressures of running a national business, purchased this property as their winter house – a place for them to explore the mountains and their beloved ski resorts that surround Bright. Travellers at heart, they had fallen in love with the character and charm of Canadian and Japanese mountain culture and were inspired to bring a touch of that closer to home.
The existing house, set on a sunny north facing hillside block, consisted of a series of rooms facing in on themselves rather than towards the spectacular mountains beyond. The first priority was to reconfigure the architecture of the main...