Sorrento Beach House, Harmony and Character

July 29, 2025

A Contemporary Take on Coastal Nostalgia

Located in Port Phillip, south of Melbourne, Australia, Sorrento Beach House stands out as a thoughtful reimagining of traditional coastal retreats.

Rather than competing for ocean views, the house is comprised of five distinct pavilions arranged around a central courtyard, with a focus on the interior. This layout celebrates the rituals of vacation life, prioritizing connection, leisure, and flexibility.

Commissioned by a young family with generational roots in the region, the project carefully balances privacy with family life. Each pavilion offers a mix of shared and secluded spaces, easily adaptable to the needs of a growing family, offering flexibility that allows for an open visual dialogue between areas—or complete privacy, when desired.

The architecture is a quiet yet powerful statement. Single-level structures form a clean silhouette, and their scattered positioning allows the lush landscaping to develop naturally around them. This fragmentation softens and harmonizes the house with its coastal surroundings.

Materials also play a key role in the house's character. A deliberately restrained palette of weathered wood, bagged brick, and corrugated steel reflects the unpretentious charm of classic beach houses. Connecting the pavilions are glass bridges that emphasize the house's connection to nature and outer space.

Landscaping is essential, as the central courtyard serves as the social heart of the house, where family life unfolds, but small, discreet retreats offering quiet moments have not been overlooked.

Environmental sustainability is present in the house's design. Slender plantings promote excellent cross-ventilation, while the careful orientation protects the courtyard from prevailing coastal winds. Passive cooling techniques—such as ceiling fans and exterior blinds—are combined with active systems, including solar panels and rainwater harvesting, significantly reducing energy and water consumption.

The Sorrento Beach House is more than just a coastal retreat—it is an exquisite, sustainable, and highly livable space that honors the charm of the past while embracing the modern.

Founded in 2012, Pandolfini Architects is a boutique studio renowned for its design-driven residential architecture, known for striking a balance between contemporary boldness and contextual sensitivity. Championing the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Aboriginal people of the Eastern Kulin Nation as the traditional custodians of the land they inhabit, their homes are sensitive to the tradition and spatial narrative of South Australia.