Home tour | A Nordic-style house near Melbourne

You might be forgiven for thinking that this gorgeous abode is a remote cabin hidden on a forested Scandinavian lakeshore; in actual fact it’s located on the other side of the world in the Australian town of Red Hill, which lies on the Mornington Peninsula to the south of Melbourne.

Named Nord House and made up of three bedrooms, a bathroom and an open-plan living space, it combines a sleek monochrome colour scheme with relaxed, rustic touches. Whitewashed tongue-and-groove walls and floors are offset by striking black doors, black tiles and black kitchen units (which remind me of the VIPP Shelter that I featured earlier this year), and there are lots of cosy textures such as sheepskins and chunky woollen blankets.

The entire house is packed with pared-back Nordic design. There are blond-wood tables and bedsteads, Ferm Living planters, a Ferm Living mirror, Muuto pendant lights, and cork-topped storage jars and daybeds from Ilse Crawford’s SINNERLIG collection for IKEA. The grey Hale Mercantile bed linen adds to the laid-back feel, as do stacks of logs and shelf-fuls of fragrant pine cones.

Particularly clever is the panelled pillar in the living area, which defines the kitchen and sitting spaces. Rugs are also used to zone the larger rooms, adding warmth and creating focal points to draw the eye.

The result is a contemporary retreat that works brilliantly in every season, with a wood-burner for chilly winter evenings and a decked garden complete with an alfresco shower for the summer months. Best of all, the house can be booked as a holiday rental for up to six people – I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of a much more tempting place to unwind…

Photography and styling by Doswell & McLean