A modern farmhouse retreat designed for family living

Set on a generous block in the leafy suburb of Park Orchards in North East Melbourne, this thoughtfully designed single-storey home strikes a beautiful balance between contemporary architecture and classic interior charm. This is a modern farmhouse retreat designed for family living.

Belinda Vandenboom of Gallerie B Interiors shows us around this home created for a busy family of five, with functionality, warmth and connection to the outdoors at its core.

Modern farmhouse kitchen with timber beams and marble splashback — The open-plan kitchen features vaulted ceilings, warm timber beams and a statement marble splashback

Vaulted living room with timber beams and stone fireplace — Exposed timber beams frame the vaulted ceiling, drawing the eye to the stone fireplace

This home is a refined take on modern farmhouse style.

“My clients are a family of 5 with 3 very active young children. We decided on a single storey new build home, thoughtfully designed to complement the sounding landscape,” Interior Designer Belinda tells us.

“It’s located on a large block in the leafy, outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The home embraces its surroundings, creating a relaxed lifestyle where indoor and outdoor living coexist effortlessly. Outside you’ll spy a pool and a basketball / pickleball court.

“I’ve worked with this client on a previous renovation that was Hamptons inspired. The brief for this home was to incorporate some of those classic design features but in more of a contemporary modern farmhouse style.

“The architect, Jake Barrow Architecture, designed a more contemporary façade while the interiors included some classic design features.

Together, we worked in collaboration to balance his contemporary vision with the classic interior features that I wanted to introduce.

“We brought in some of my client’s favourite colours, blue and green, to create an understated but elegant aesthetic.”

Modern farmhouse exterior with black cladding and timber pergola — Black cladding and outdoor lighting create a bold yet refined exterior

Kitchen island with woven bar stools and marble splashback — A closer look at the kitchen island with woven bar stools, marble surfaces and elegant pendant lighting

Laundry with green cabinetry farmhouse sink and brass tap — Deep green cabinetry and a farmhouse sink bring character to this functional laundry

The project features warm materials and layered textures to create an inviting atmosphere.

“Materiality plays a key role in shaping the home’s inviting atmosphere. A carefully considered palette of warm tones, natural textures and durable finishes ensures the home is both beautiful and practical for everyday family life,” says Belinda.

“The stone clad fireplace in the living room is such a feature. I wanted the stone colours to remain warm, along with the tone of the timber beams.

“The benchtop and splashback in the kitchen has a lovely warm veining which also complements the tones of the chimney. It is a hard-wearing porcelain. Although the client would have loved natural stone, she was worried about the maintenance.

“When you enter the open plan kitchen, dining and living, the tall, vaulted ceiling and stone fireplace are a real wow moment.

“I love that the home has an understated elegance while also remaining very inviting, functional and perfect for family living. We made sure there was plenty of storage in the cabinetry design and that hard surfaces were practical and low maintenance.

“Having worked with this client previously, I had a good sense of what she would like when selecting materials, colours and lighting.”

Modern farmhouse living room with tall stone fireplace — A striking stone fireplace creates a dramatic focal point beneath the vaulted ceiling

Powder room with marble vanity blush walls and round mirror — A soft blush palette and marble finishes create a warm and inviting powder room

Bathroom detail with brass tapware glass shower and subway tiles — Brass tapware and clean lines create a refined, timeless bathroom detail

Sometimes, it’s the small rooms that make the biggest impact.

“Although I love the living room, the powder room was also such a joy to design,” Belinda says with a smile. “My client trusted me to include a beautiful blush coloured vinyl wallpaper that has a lovely texture. It is such a sanctuary.

“She loves quality pieces, so I was able to incorporate some beautiful feature lighting in various rooms. She trusted me with knowing where to invest in quality materials and furnishings, and where she could save some money.”

Navy butler’s pantry with brass tap and marble benchtop — The butler’s pantry pairs deep navy cabinetry with brass tapware and marble benchtops

Modern farmhouse kitchen with marble benchtop and timber ceiling beams — Warm timber beams and marble surfaces bring timeless character to this modern farmhouse kitchen

The seamless flow from indoor to outdoor is what makes this modern farmhouse truly ideal for family living.

“The home has a great connection to the outdoors, and the landscaping colours and tones helped guide the interiors,” Belinda explains.

“This home really was a collaborative project. I was involved in the design and planning of the home from the early stages. This meant we were all involved — architect, designer and builder.

“The landscaping was also being completed alongside the build so that when the project was complete, the client was able to move in and everything was done.”

Credits:
Photography — Suzi Appel Photography
Styling — Bask Interiors
Architect — Jake Barrow Architecture
Interior Design — Gallerie B Interiors
Builder — Ahead Building
Lighting — Montauk Lighting

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Those vaulted ceilings sold us from the moment we laid eyes on them! Thank you to Belinda for showing us around this modern farmhouse retreat perfectly designed for family living. Discover more projects from Gallerie B by stopping by their website, or taking a peek at their Instagram. And be sure to subscribe to Style Curator to get all the latest home tours straight to your inbox.