Whether it’s navigating the harsh climate or ensuring long-term durability, designing a remote outback home comes with its own unique set of challenges. Our client approached us with plans for a single-storey, three-wing residence in Western Australia’s outback, intended as a second residence on their existing property.
The brief?
Balance family living with guest accommodation and retreat use. The left-hand wing was to house the master suite, complete with an en suite and walk-in wardrobes, as well as a kids’ room and gym. At the centre of the home, the middle wing forms the main living hub, incorporating a kitchen, two living spaces and essential utilities, including a laundry, scullery, mudroom and WC. The right-hand wing was conceived with B&B use in mind, a self-contained zone that allows extra guests to enjoy independence and privacy.
Here’s our step-by-step process to tackling a three-wing floor plan in the Australian outback.
Based on the brief and mock-up layout we received from the client (see above), Georgina and Peter sat down to come up with two initial floorplans. To watch how Georgina conceived of and drew these plans from scratch.
Option 1
Option 2
Then it was time for the initial preview meeting, with one of our team members presenting the two initial floorplan options (see above) to the client. With its central, north-facing kitchen and effortless zoning to facilitate family living and a B&B, option two was the immediate preference. The client was also drawn to the placement of the utilities area and entry sequence, as well as the orientation of the master bedroom.
The client then shared a number of requests to further tailor the layout to their needs. They asked for the gym to be converted into a guest bedroom to better accommodate visitors, while exploring whether the walk-in robe and en suite could be repositioned to create space for a dedicated gym elsewhere in the wing. They also requested a powder room for guests and strengthening the utility zone by more clearly consolidating the scullery, laundry and mudroom. Finally, they queried whether the garage orientation could be repositioned to improve access and overall flow.
Georgina and Peter then wove this feedback into a revised floorplan, which they presented to the client during a second workshop meeting. Sitting down together, they carefully marked up the plan (see below), discussing what was working well and where further refinements could be made.
These requests formed the basis of the next design phase as Georgina and Peter began working through how best to integrate each change while maintaining the integrity of the overall plan.
The client liked the placement and sequence of the scullery, laundry and mudroom, as well as the overall configuration of the master suite’s walk-in robe and en suite. They also liked the entry being positioned at the front of the home, complete with a functional dump zone, and felt the garage placement and circulation worked well.
From there, we turned to the next round of improvements. The client wanted to extend the main living, kitchen and dining spaces north, while also reducing the overall width of the house. They suggested consolidating the Airbnb bedrooms and enhancing the kitchenette in that wing with additional utilities and a proper island. Other requests included pushing the entry back to create a dedicated storage zone, introducing a dining banquette to the formal living area, upgrading the powder room into a full bathroom, and extending wardrobe space in the Airbnb bedrooms while further consolidating the utility zones.
Taking into account the above client feedback, Georgina and Peter refined the layout further, developing a fourth iteration of the floor plan that carefully balanced the client’s requests with the overall integrity and functionality of the home.
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