The bathroom decorating trick that can flip the focus to what’s outside the window

Deep in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, a pastry chef and her family live in an off-grid sanctuary built from local stone and reclaimed hardwood.

The home
“Aberdeen”, an offgrid, contemporary four-bedroom farmhouse on 126 acres in Victoria’s Yarra Valley.

Who lives here
Pastry chef, author and TV presenter Kirsten Tibballs with her husband, accountant Michael Louros, and their son Charlie, who studies and works in IT.

What we did
“We bought the land and enlisted Alexandra Buchanan Architecture to design a rural retreat using reclaimed timber and local stone,” says Tibballs. “It follows the natural fall of the land which minimised excavation and maximised outlook.”

My favourite room
“The kitchen is the heart of the home,” says Tibballs. “It has a generous island bench finished in Veneto porcelain, perfect for baking and entertaining.”

The ’hood
“The great privilege of the area is the landscape. It feels very connected to the broader Yarra Valley, but there is also a real sense of remoteness.”

Future plans
“The house is designed to evolve,” says Tibballs. “A planned second stage in the lower level will create a theatre, a rumpus room and a cellar.”

Best advice
“Decorate for how you actually live rather than how you think a house should look. Choose honest materials, let things age, and embrace a little imperfection.”