Rockpool: where grandeur and homeliness blend seamlessly
Tucked away along the East Coast of Tasmania, in the tiny suburb of Pontypool, sits the recently completed holiday home, Rockpool.
Despite the grandeur of the seven-bedroom, three-bathroom (plus powder room) resort-like “shack”, the interior design brief was to create a space that exudes both warmth and comfort where friends and loved ones could walk in and didn’t feel the need to remove their shoes at the door.
The interior also had to have longevity and functionality for hosting large family gatherings for decades to come. For Interior Designer Peta Barwick of P1 Designs, Tasmanian Timber was the material of choice.
Rockpool was created to serve as not just a holiday home, but a true home away from home, designed to give its residents and guests the ultimate feeling of comfort and a sense of ease upon entering.
Peta was given a blank canvas. Tasked with turning the vast interior into a place or warmth and homeliness Peta was immediately attracted to the idea of using Tasmanian Timber.
“Tasmanian Timbers exude warmth and even though they’ve got a lovely relaxed feel they are of superior quality, so you know that whether it’s in twelve months’ time or twenty years’ time, it’s still going to exude that classical warm relaxed feel.”
An emphasis on natural products
Tucked back from the busy Tasman Highway and overlooking the peaceful waters of Little Swanport, the Rockpool house blends in with the natural surroundings, allowing its guests to find complete relaxation.
“When I first saw the environment nestled amongst the bush and on the water, it made sense to use local Tasmanian products like Tasmanian Oak and locally sourced rock. We used timbers wherever possible which can be found extensively throughout the entire house from the living areas and kitchens to the bedrooms and bathrooms.”
Tasmanian species and applications throughout
A range of Tasmanian species and unique applications were used throughout the home including Myrtle, Tasmanian Oak and Huon Pine to create depth and variation. A combination of solid Tasmanian Oak with Oak veneer was used in the kitchen to create an almost seamless and minimal look in the kitchen, complete with custom touches including the lighting, seating and table. The Oak veneer is prominent throughout the home to help create the warmth requested in the brief, being applied across the walls, ceilings, doors and wardrobes.
“Tasmanian Timber can easily be used across so many applications. From floor-to-ceiling book shelving to kitchen cabinets to vanity units, there’s a great variety of hues to choose from and they all mix really well with cooler materials like stone or rock. While the timber is obviously hard to the touch, it also has a softness to it, which blends and mixes really well with other materials.”
Having the home owners and entire design team hailing from Australia’s wild and southernmost state, the celebration of this region was another reason for the choice of Tasmanian Timber.
“As a team we are all very proud of our Tasmanian heritage and big believers of supporting the local economy. We are so lucky to have access to a really high-quality timber product that is also found in our home state.
“The timber was a huge part of creating this stunning home allowing for a beautiful end result for my client. It’s completely unique, nobody else can say that they have this and it’s also going to last a lifetime and lifetime’s beyond.”
