Springdale

Situated in rural southern Queensland, Antonio Building’s Springdale engages in a material dialogue that thoughtfully connects its exterior to its interiors. Winning the Master Builders’ Queensland Downs & Western Housing & Construction Award for Individual Home in 2023, the build consists of a purposeful palette that maintains modern country appeal while keeping function at the forefront.

Taking advantage of the property’s expansive outlook, windows span the circumference of Springdale’s exteriors, framed in the bold, charcoal hue of James Hardie Axon cladding in Dulux Monument. The distinctly contemporary feature is juxtaposed with raw timber beams, locally sourced from the nearby town of Inglewood. “It was important to our client’s that the design embraces an elegant, modern but edgy take on the traditional Australian homestead, blending contemporary elements with a rural aesthetic,” explains Gavin Antonio, Managing Director of Antonio Building. Locally quarried stone lines patches of greenery at the home’s borders, blending with the natural landscape. 

“The use of Brickworks’ Sans Selmo Reclaimed Aged Red throughout our project played a crucial role in achieving the home’s edgier design and contemporary rural aesthetic,” says Gavin. Complementing its agricultural context, the brickwork furthers Springdale’s environmental integration, asserting the home in present-day while acknowledging the traditions of rural Australian redbrick builds. “The selection was driven by its ability to provide a warm, earthy contrast internally and externally adding visual and tactile depth and enhancing the sensory experience of the home,” Gavin continues. While the exterior brick acts in contrast to the dark cladding, a feature brick wall in the home’s wine cellar imbues indulgence through the interiors. 

As well as visual impact, practicality was central to every design element of Springdale. Externally, the brickwork, cladding and wooden beams collaborate in forming a strong and durable structure. Additionally, the brickwork wards against the turbulent tropical climate, ensuring the longevity of the build. The feature brick wall in the wine cellar not only adds opulence to the space but assists in naturally regulating the room’s temperature, mitigating the need for costly technology to allow the owners to store their wine sustainably.  

Utilising the multitudinal nature of brick, Springdale forms an equilibrium between sophisticated modernity and the Australian farmhouse aesthetic. With materiality that flows between the indoors and out, the award-winning home plays with cohesion and juxtaposition to establish a unique presence amidst its serene surroundings.

“The use of Brickworks’ Sans Selmo Reclaimed Aged Red throughout our project played a crucial role in achieving the home’s edgier design and contemporary rural aesthetic.”

“The use of Brickworks’ Sans Selmo Reclaimed Aged Red throughout our project played a crucial role in achieving the home’s edgier design and contemporary rural aesthetic.”