Lee and Lee-Anne Stevens met while in their late teens (naww!), and purchased their first property a few years later, on the Mornington Peninsula. Since then, the pair have renovated, built and project managed over 150 properties through their consultancy business Healthy Abode, which encourages holistically informed and ethically driven building developments.
When it came to building their own home, Lee and Lee-Anne followed these ‘healthy home’ values, and engaged Shaun Lockyer Architects to design ‘The Greenhouse.’ ‘Our priority was to build an architecturally designed home whilst achieving optimal liveability for our family’s lifestyle’ Lee-Anne explains. The neutral palette, and focus on natural materials and handcrafted pieces has ensured this contemporary home retains a sense of warmth. The use of ironbark timbers connects the house to the landscape of towering eucalyptus, and nestles the property into the site.
The ‘Greenhouse’ isn’t just a beautiful space. This is a home which also conveys the ethics of the owners, and their focus on ‘health, wellbeing, clean and simple living.’ These priorities have informed both the architecture and the interiors here, with local furniture designers and makers commissioned to create bespoke pieces. ‘We love honouring techniques and traditions that have been passed down through generations’ Lee-Anne says. ‘The home has a special energy which we feel is created from all the passionate trades who worked on the project and shared our vision, and all the artisans who handmade the furniture, beautiful rugs, artwork.’
In the end, the success of any home design comes down to the way the space makes you feel. Here, the Stevens family describe an (almost unbelievably!) idyllic rhythm to their days: ‘As a family we can see the benefits of the daily rituals of checking for chicken eggs, harvesting from our organic vegetable patch and feeding the birds and ducks.’
