London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 20, 2025

These Beachy Digs in Melbourne Explore the Yin and Yang of Form, Texture, and Color

These Beachy Digs in Melbourne Explore the Yin and Yang of Form, Texture, and Color

In a mashup of desert midcentury and industrial chic, Mim Design creates a perfectly balanced home for a design-savvy family.

For their new Melbourne dwelling, the client-the founder of Coastal Living, a popular lifestyle and furnishings company on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula-had a few ideas for what they wanted in a home: a "future-proof" design with spaces for business and entertaining, private areas for family life, and rooms that would connect physically or at least visually to the outdoors.



To bring those elements to life, Mim Design began by imagining a series of pavilion-like rooms connected via short stairways. Half of the front elevation of the home recalls Palm Springs midcentury design, and the other half reflects an unassuming modern minimalism. The resulting yin-yang facade effuses a balanced calm. "Finding beauty in contradiction ensures a sense of harmony," says principal of Mim Design, Miriam Fanning.



The Palm Springs–inspired half of the home features a curved wall of breeze blocks painted white that hides an intimate courtyard. An array of succulents and cacti, and a bar cart and lounge chairs from the Coastal Living collection add the perfect finishing touch to the vintage vibe. Whimsically placed concrete stepping stones skirt the wall, adding a playful moment between the two halves of the home.

Contrasting in form, material, color, and style, the right half of the facade mimics the black-charred look of shou sugi ban. Instead of treated timber, however, the architects kept with local bushfire regulations by implementing highly durable, non-toxic zinc cladding. The contrasting styles of rough white brick and black vertical siding create a funnel to the entryway.



Inside the home, midcentury and minimalist stylings continue, thanks to collaboration from Coastal Living. "The company is known for its effortless style and use of neutral tones, texture, and timbers," says Fanning. "We reflected that throughout this project in the seamless integration of architecture, interior design, and furnishings." With a neutral palette, and a generous amount of white paint and natural light, the rooms exude a simple calm.

Still, they are never dull: Each room contains elements of the client’s current collection—a Miffy Lamp; a blue surfboard; a book by Karen McCartney, Perfect Imperfect-to add depth, intrigue, and family character.

In addition to the personalized, quirky decor, the interiors play with both texture and scale. In the living room alone are walls of matte-painted brick, exposed brick, black steel-edged glass, and V-groove planks. The rough surfaces are counterbalanced with soft surfaces that include a variety of plants, plush sofas and chairs, and plenty of rounded shapes, like a thick-trunked floor lamp or a smooth, circular coffee table.



Extensive glazing provides a visual connection between the interiors and the garden, adding even more textural contrast. "We intended the rear gardens to evoke the tranquillity of the subtropics by incorporating large foliage plants like Bangalow palms and birds of paradise," says Fanning. The front gardens are planted with local and indigenous flora, and include speargrass, cushion bush, and white correa.

A simple hallway vignette further demonstrates the subtle power of texture: the smoothness of the floor, surfboard, and planter; the nubby appeal of the oatmeal boucle bench; the straw tote and hat; the spikes on the cactus; and, through the window, the graceful fingers of palm leaves against the coarse, grass-covered garden wall.



In a play on form and repetition, Mim Design took the facade’s outline-a gentle curve unspooling into a straight line-and echoed it in the home’s interior. In the kitchen, for example, the island repeats the facade's motif. A large hanging lamp repeats the generous curve of the marble island beneath, its weight offset by simple stools and a white block base on the square-edged end of the island. The motif appears again in the bathroom, where the mirror provides the same satisfying balance despite its asymmetrical shape.

While the details of the interior make this stylish house a home, the back patio-with its stunningly modern and oversized steel-beam frame, its turquoise pool, and inviting lounge chairs-has the allure and refinement of a resort. Near the pool is a sanctuary-like study where "the clients can run their business from home without compromising a life-by-the-sea lifestyle," says Fanning. In a deft exercise of simplicity and balance, the home perfectly captures a relaxed-yet-refined aesthetic.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
×