The original home is distinctly Paul Couch’s: a rhythm of exposed concrete beams sitting on concrete walls, an exposed slab carried through the interiors, and infill materials chosen with rigour – bluestone paving in the wet areas, solid timber internal doors, stainless steel joinery, hybrid timber-and-steel windows, and ceilings clad in Stramit Board (compressed straw panelling). Not a single surface was painted.

Pepper & well’s intent was to renew the ensuite in a way that empathised with and paid homage to the original architecture and Couch’s ethos, without falling into imitation. The challenge was to stitch new work into the original fabric while allowing both to remain legible.

Architecture & Design: Can you describe the initial vision for this project and how it evolved over time?

Andy Dal Pozzo: The initial vision for this project was shaped well before we even talked about design. The clients are the parents of another client of ours, whose home we are renovating in Fitzroy North. When they asked us to come to Mount Macedon to look at their bathroom, it didn’t sound like the most exciting brief. But they were lovely people, so I couldn’t say no.

That changed the moment I arrived at the house. I was genuinely blown away. My immediate focus shifted to understanding how to approach a renovation within a building that is so iconic and so completely resolved by one of the very best architects we have had, Paul Couch.

We began, as we always do, with a Feasibility Study, but in this case, the early vision centred almost entirely on materiality. The house has no painted surfaces – every finish is natural and honest. So the question became, how do we introduce something new that feels equally authentic, and that can age and patina in the same spirit as the original building?

The initial thought was to continue the material language of the house. We even explored a timber floor base for the bathroom, that would contrast against the original bluestone. We visited timber yards to find an Australian hardwood suitable for a shower, and looked at ways to detail it for long-term maintenance. But the clients weren’t convinced about its durability.

We kept exploring contrasting materials with an emphasis on local, naturally finished options. Crazy paving emerged as a strong direction – still natural and local, but distinct from the existing bluestone. The idea gained momentum when Paul Couch himself replied to my email noting he had used Mintaro Brown Back Slate as the crazy paving in his own bathroom at his Toolern Vale house. When we managed to source the slate, it became the key moment that unlocked the direction of the project.

Even the concrete we introduced had to work with and pay homage to Paul’s work rather than mimic it. It needed to serve a new function, for a new owner, in a new time, while still sitting comfortably within the language of the original house.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the design and construction phases, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenges came from the existing house itself. On the eve of starting, we discovered dormant hydronic heating pipes in the slab directly beneath our proposed concrete bench seat, which forced us to revisit the structural design.

The hydronic floor heating had never worked in the bathroom for as long as they had lived there, so the clients were convinced the pipes weren’t there in the original build. Nick, our builder, was less certain due to his experience on Paul’s projects, but even the original structural drawings didn’t show anything, and the hydronic plant was poorly labelled.

Fortunately, I managed to track down the original builder of the house. Incredibly, he still had his own construction photos. And sure enough, the photos confirmed exactly what we suspected – hydronic heating pipes running through the bathroom slab.

How did you ensure that the project met the client’s needs and expectations?

Our clients absolutely adored their house, which had been kept largely intact over time, all except for the bathroom, which had been somewhat compromised. They wanted an outcome that lived up to the original building, but they were also incredibly brave.

They were open to materials, forms and sculptural elements they had never lived with in a bathroom before, as well as the idea of introducing something new that would sit confidently within Paul Couch’s legacy.

A big part of meeting their expectations was taking them on the journey with us. We shared our research, our material investigations and the logic behind every decision so they could understand how each move reinforced the DNA of the original house. This helped them feel grounded in the process, even when the ideas were unconventional.

We were very fortunate that they fully bought into the vision and were willing to invest in doing the space properly. That trust allowed us to create a bathroom that restored the integrity of the home and respected, strengthened and extended the spirit of Paul’s work.

Were there any unique or innovative techniques or materials used in this project?

Interestingly, the innovation in this project was less about experimental materials and more about the way we were able to research and understand the original building. We had access to tools and techniques that simply weren’t available when the house was first built. On top of that, we were incredibly fortunate to tap into the knowledge of photographer Tom Ross, who had spent years cataloguing Paul Couch’s work for his new book. Together, these resources allowed us to investigate Paul’s projects in far greater depth and helped us decode the logic and intent behind the house.

That level of research gave us the confidence to return to older, more traditional methods with purpose. There are no painted surfaces or mass-produced materials anywhere in the house – every finish is hand-done and every fixing is exposed. We were inspired by Paul’s ability to simplify and uncomplicate construction using readily available materials, such as galvanised steel members, and detailing them with absolute precision.

Our fixture selection followed the same logic. Instead of concealing services within new walls, we chose an outdoor shower unit that could be freestanding and plumbed directly from the floor, and suspend the glass shower screen from a galvanised pipe. It allowed us to keep the installation honest and visible, and prevented any intervention into the original concrete structure or Stramit ceiling.

The innovation was really in the process – combining contemporary research capabilities with a deliberately pared-back and traditional approach to construction. It allowed us to design something new that still sits faithfully within the language of the original house.

How does this project fit into your broader portfolio and design philosophy?

All of our projects aim to create spaces with personality that draw from the DNA of the existing building or site, as well as the character of the clients. In that sense, this project sits very naturally within our broader portfolio. Like every renovation we take on, it began with a forensic investigation of the existing house to understand its prevailing parti and its underlying logic.

At Lumeah, we found this in the rhythm of the concrete beams that run through the house, stacked perpendicularly on concrete blade walls, with every element expressed and on show. That became our cue. It informed the language of the bathroom design, where we reduced the palette to its essential functions – a floating in-situ concrete shower partition stacked on top of an in-situ concrete bench seat. A simple, direct expression of the structural clarity that defines the original house.

This is Lumeah was the recipient of four different accolades at this years ArchiTeam Awards, namely the inaugural Heritage Award, the Small Project Medal, the People’s Choice Award, and a commendation in the Residential Alterations and Additions under $500k, sponsored by James Hardie.

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