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Located in Sutton, a small village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, this new off-grid residence is an innovative mash-up of distinctly Australian references.
At a glance, the exterior is clad entirely in a Colorbond, made up of two simple adjoining pavilions with pitched rooflines — taking inspiration from regional shearing sheds and utilitarian outbuildings you’d expect to see on a farm.
But up close, it’s clear Ochre House is offering a fun, new take on traditional country living.
‘We reinterpreted these familiar forms with refined, contemporary detailing to create a home that feels both enduring and elevated,’ says MyMyMy Architecture director Mark Brook.
‘A key ambition was to explore how an affordable, everyday material like Colorbond could be elevated through careful detailing, proving that refined architecture doesn’t need to rely on expensive claddings.’
The owners Kari and Tom approached the Canberra-based firm wanting to build a three-bedroom home that was as small and efficient as possible, with a minimal environmental footprint.
‘Above all, they wanted a design that was low-maintenance, fully off-grid, and deeply connected to the surrounding landscape.’
This environmental ethos also played a part in the bold colour of the exterior, which gives the project its name. While ‘unconventional’, Mark notes the earthy hue resonates with the colours of Indigenous pigments and vibrant hues of native flora: ‘Like a banksia flower amongst the gums.’
‘In addition to this, the Colorbond is bushfire resistant — important as the home had a BAL 29 rating.’
Inside, the restrained material palette continues to play with rich textures and colour in surprising ways. Grey ironbark timber lines the walls and ceilings in the living pavilion, creating a cocoon-like feeling that allows the interiors to recede whenever you look out the windows into the bright landscape.
Burnished concrete floors appear throughout, while a terrazzo bench and red-and-gold stained-glass door add playful flair to the kitchen. Elsewhere, you’ll find ceramic tiles in blushing pinks or soft greens, with these respective hues repeated in the wall panelling for the study and bedroom.
‘Bathrooms feature glass roofs, creating an experience of showering under the sky, reinforcing the connection to nature,’ Mark adds.
At 150 square metres, Ochre House achieved a 7.5-star NatHERS rating, with all electric appliances.
On the roofs of the pavilions (and the freestanding carport) there’s a 24KW solar array, as well as a 124,000L water tank and a septic wastewater treatment to ensure Kari and Tom can thrive in their off-grid abode — which has since won the Residential Architecture House category in the Australian Institute of Architecture Awards for the ACT.
‘The clients have expressed to us multiple times that the house allows them to escape from the hectic elements of day to day life and immerse themselves in nature,’ Mark adds.
