Whitford Barn Residence.

When a multi-award-winning master builder commissions his own home, the brief tends to be exacting. Whitford Barn was designed by Macfie Architecture for WG de Gruchy Construction founder Willie de Gruchy: a farmhouse-style residence perched above the Clevedon Valley, with sweeping rural views and a design conceived from the ground up to grow with the family over time.

The home is arranged in a cohesive L-shaped plan, divided into two wings to be delivered in phases. Stage one establishes the heart of the home: a master suite, two children's bedrooms, a family bathroom, and an open plan kitchen and dining area, each oriented to maximise the valley views and draw natural light deep into the plan. The second wing will follow, adding a guest suite, secondary living space, and additional bathroom, all connected by a generous outdoor entertaining area that ties the two wings together.

The result is a home that feels entirely resolved at stage one, with the intelligence of the phased approach invisible to the eye. Rural elegance, functional precision, and the kind of build quality that only comes from someone who has spent a career demanding it of themselves.