Sharing a seamless dialogue with its coastal locale, the Mizu House by Lorne-based interior studio Georgina Jeffries asserts calm and cosiness through bespoke intervention.
Mizu is one of five elements in Japanese philosophy, meaning water. Taking this name, the Mizu House by designer Georgina Jeffries is governed by Japanese design influence, coupled with the pristine natural landscape of Lorne, Victoria.
With enviable ocean views, the Mizu house is a window into how bespoke design can come to shape a beach house. Through a restrained material palette Georgina Jeffries has introduced clean lines and refined joinery – something that seaside homes can often forego – assuring a warm and inviting family retreat.
We know Georgina Jeffries has a handle on reinvigorating homes by the sea, previously offering est a look inside a playful and fresh Lorne house for a growing family. This time, the Mizu House brief concerned how the family could better use each space, more than the overall appearance.
Designed 13 years ago by architect Mark Gratwick, the home originally had four bedrooms. Georgina and team were asked to replan the downstairs space to include an additional two bedrooms – one with custom built-in bunks. Upstairs, they reworked an unused space into a kids retreat; all the while sticking to an unpretentious and relaxing aesthetic.
All the while, the main level’s uninterrupted ocean views continued to inform the home’s contemporary injection. “The location boasts an incredible view through native trees to expansive ocean, which is the real hero of this home, and is inevitably what drove the pared-back palette for the interiors,” Georgina says. “It’s a holiday home, so it was important that the finishes were low maintenance but still had texture and warmth,” she adds. Resisting bold colour, the team kept to a restrained, tactile palette of natural timber, hand-finished tadelakt plaster in the wet areas, as well as sisal and wool carpets.
“It’s a holiday home, so it was important that the finishes were low maintenance but still had texture and warmth.”
– Designer Georgina Jeffries
The custom timber and metal joinery in the family room is a standout in the Mizu House – and also one of Georgina’s favourite parts of the project. “It’s a double-sided piece that has replaced a white wall and has transformed the way the room functions and feels,” she says. “I think there is an elegance in the simplicity of its form.” Embrued with the spirit of seaside living and Japanese design, the Mizu House captures the refinement of its owners, while making considered space and storage for moments of retreat.
