A Barn-Style Retreat With Eco-Friendly Features

Former Olympian snowboarder Joh Lyle is not afraid of the cold. Wearing her new (non-woolly) hat as designer at her studio, Siesta Home, she created her weekender in the Victorian Alps as two pavilions, without even a covered way between them.

“It’s exciting and a talking point,” she says. “Running back and forth makes us feel connected to the landscape.” In the cooler months – and it gets glacial here – it’s a bracing morning wake-up call. But both wings are always warm and inviting destinations.

She and her husband, Josh, bought the green fields site back in 2015 as a getaway for them and their two children, son Nixon, 14, and daughter Maelle, 12. On regular pilgrimages to the winter wonderland of Mount Buller, they had often passed this lot, in rugged bushland and with sweeping vistas.

“We mulled over properties down on the flat, but kept on returning to this on the steep,” she says. “It offered spectacular views.” In 2022, Josh put in the first steel framework, completing the project 18 months later.

“I wanted something hard-wearing and robust,” says Joh. But above all it had to be simple and unpretentious, and offer a warm and relaxed welcome to a steady stream of visitors. “I wanted it to feel like a big hug,” she says.

“I chose green to bring the outside in.”

JOH LYLE, DESIGNER & OWNER

To ensure the home sat gently within the landscape – this was once a sheep farm – and as a homage, Joh adopted the local vernacular, creating two barn-like structures, clad in corrugated iron, roof and external walls, with pitched roofs and cathedral ceilings inside.

“We used minimal materials, chosen for their durability, beauty and sustainability. With corrugated iron, steel-framed windows and recycled timbers, every detail complements the landscape while reducing environmental impact,” she says.

Raw and earthy, yet also streamlined and stylish, the getaway straddles two worlds.

“This house is all about warmth and personality.”

– JOH LYLE, OWNER

In one wing is the open plan. The living area is separated from the dining by a firebox, while at the other end is the kitchen – with a bench seat facing the action – and entry.

Across an open hardwood deck sits the sleeping wing, with the main bedroom and ensuite at one end, a second bedroom with two ingenious sleeping lofts above, a third bedroom and a family bathroom.

“We made sure every window has a view.”

JOH LYLE, OWNER

“We used minimal materials, chosen for their durability, beauty and sustainability.”

JOH LYLE, DESIGNER & OWNER

For the interiors, Joh was crystal clear on what she didn’t want – white walls and plaster. “I chose green to bring the outside in, including the eucalypts, grass and bark.” And no plaster to avoid things being too precious.

Echoing the corrugated iron’s vertical lines inside, Joh used VJ cladding in olive green and extended it into the cathedral ceiling with its exposed bluegum beams.

Floors feature recycled hardwoods and tumbled travertine, while the bathrooms sport zellige Moroccan tiles, again in green. The kitchen, in blue-grey, provides a counterpoint.

And the home is green in other ways. “We wanted it to be self-sustaining,” says Joh. “Powered by solar panels and batteries, it’s off-grid and rainwater-fed. It also embraces passive design principles, with lots of natural light and ventilation.”

Furniture-wise, a sumptuous King Living ‘1977’ modular, laid-back and with removable covers (an added bonus), takes pride of place in front of floor-to-ceiling glazing, with a stunning Pop and Scott ‘Bell Weaver’ pendant a dramatic counterpoint. But furnishings and accessories are otherwise kept to a minimum. “No excess, no clutter, just a space that feels good to live in,” says Joh.

“This house is all about warmth and personality.”

JOH LYLE, OWNER

Everyone’s favourite spot is the communal bench seat facing the kitchen, its appeal heightened by the pocket window above. “We made sure every window has a view,” she says. Not just of the mountains, but also the alpine garden – think scree and grasses – by Phillip Johnson Landscapes. And a faraway fire pit. “We wanted it to be disconnected and far from the house. With the ground steeply falling away beyond, for the full alpine experience.”

As well as that bench seat, the kids love the loft bedrooms. “They call it their magical land,” she says.

THIS IS THE LIFE
The family, with kelpie Syd, aims to come here every weekend, says Joh. And the children like to bring their friends along. The broad bench seat opposite the kitchen,
is a gathering place, while the bedroom wing offers respite. Or Joh might be sitting in her favourite sling chair reading a book. “Typically, Nixon might be mountain biking, while Maelle and I like to play board games,” she says.

“Wrapped head to toe in a gorgeous olive, this house is all about warmth, personality and cosying up by the fire with a cuppa.”

“A home should feel like a hug — and this delivers that in the best way.”

The Design Team

Siesta Home: siestahome.com.au.

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