Built on a 1960s-era former commercial plant nursery not far from the seaside town of Ocean Grove in Victoria, this stone-clad house has the feel of a traditional homestead. The modern metal roof is a practical response to the climate – and a nod to the area’s vernacular. “Rural Australia’s history with its functional metal-roofed sheds influenced the long singular roofline,” says Melbourne-based architect Clare Cousins, who designed the three-bedroom property for a couple and their young children. “The house is embedded within the landscape; the material [Western Australian limestone] is as if it were of the earth.”

Inside, spotted-gum timber and stone floors bring the elements into the rooms. Warm, natural furnishings – chairs in rattan, leather and wicker – provide earthy consistency. “These materials provide a warm, textured and robust interior,” says Cousins. “The house celebrates materials in their natural state.”

In fact, Cousins’ house is larger and more complex than it looks: it is semi-submerged underground. Though single-storey at the front, at the back it uses the fall of the land to create two levels (the children’s bedrooms open out onto a lawn). Yet even its more lavish touches, such as the billabong-shaped swimming pool, reference the natural landscape. Outside, orchards and a working vineyard surround the property. “It feels like a private botanic garden,” says Cousins.