Malmsbury House is a Mexican Swiss Chalet project designed by Perversi-Brooks Architects in 2015, covers an area of 206 m2 and is located in Malmsbury , Australia. Photography by Ben Hosking.

“A Mexican-Swiss Chalet in the Aussie Bush (The owner’s brief) Wow! But shit…what to do…" The client; a Swiss (French-speaking) ex-chef, ex-toy museum owner, collector of all things amazing and bizarre, turned artist, now heavily inspired by Mexican colour, pattern and imagery.
The existing house was a dark, somewhat drab mud-brick owner-built number from the late 1970s, chock-a-block full of an extensive collection of objects, toys, and artworks. The house sits in an established garden just outside the township of Malmsbury. The site is zoned a ‘Rural Living Zone’, and is subject to a number of overlays: Environmental Significance Overlay, Erosion Management Overlay, and a Heritage Overlay. The property is also within a bushfire prone area.
The owner and his partner found the whole place too dark, they needed more light to be happy in the space. They also wanted more wall space and display cabinets for his collection. A small (10m2) glazed sunroom extension was added to provide a space to sit and read, or eat breakfast – inside the comfort of the home – but nestled within the well-established landscaped area to the north of the existing house, providing a space for the owner to appreciate the garden in the w...