Built in 1978, Susie’s Alistair Knox mudbrick home feels as connected to the landscape today as it must have when it was first imagined.
Set on 20 acres in Hurstbridge, the home is unmistakably Knox. Textured mudbrick walls, warm timber, handmade details and expansive windows draw the surrounding bushland into almost every room. There’s an honesty to the architecture, and an imperfection that Susie has grown to love.
When Susie and her family first discovered the home, it had remained largely untouched since it was built. Rather than seeing something that needed to be transformed, Susie saw what was already there. As she learnt more about the home, its original owners and the stories held within its materials, her desire to change it became smaller and smaller.
Today, Bowran House is a reflection of both its past and the family who lives there now. Original details sit alongside vintage finds, collected artworks, family treasures and pieces with stories stretching back generations. Nothing feels too precious or overly considered. Instead, the home has evolved slowly and instinctively, with Susie allowing its architecture to lead the way.
For our latest Heart to Heart, we visited Susie at Bowran House to talk about living in an Alistair Knox home, knowing when not to renovate, her love of collecting and the memories that make a house feel like your own.
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Meet Susie
Tell us a little about yourself...
I’m a mum and a primary school teacher, and I live here in Hurstbridge with my husband and our three children.
I’ve always had a passion for interiors and styling. I remember visiting family as a child and teenager and always looking around their homes, noticing the architecture, furniture and objects from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.
I was constantly redecorating my bedroom growing up. I’d even instinctively move Mum’s objects around our home because I didn’t think they looked quite right where they were!
I wasn’t confident enough to pursue Interior Design until my first maternity leave. I had some time on my hands and wondered if I could have a career outside of teaching, so I completed a Diploma of Interior Design.
I’ve never formally practised, but studying changed the way I see homes. I have a much greater appreciation for different types of architecture. We probably never would have purchased our previous 1950s Art Deco Waterfall home, or this house, without that understanding.
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What was it about this house that made you feel, "This is the one"?
Essentially, it was the views as we drove up the driveway and around to the back to park. Then it was the layout and condition of the home. Oh, and it was built in 1978, the year I was born, so that helped!
When I first walked into the living room, I instantly knew how I would orient the furniture and furnish the space. We had been thinking about a move and looking at purchasing land in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs for several years, and we were particularly drawn to Alistair Knox-built homes. We always said that if the right Knox house popped up on the right piece of land, before the kids got too big, we would make the move.
Many of the Knox houses we had viewed were too small or the layouts were a little too quirky. This home had been for sale for a long time, and I think potential owners had popped it into the “too hard” or “too much money needs to be spent on it” basket because it hadn’t been touched since it was built. No updates had been made at all.
Moving from Melbourne's eastern suburbs to 20 acres is quite a change. How has that shift changed the way your family lives?
We were so lucky to find this home just before Covid, and we were able to make the move just before the first lockdown. Some of my best family memories here are from those years. While everyone else was stuck inside and only allowed out for one hour of exercise, we had all of this space. We had buggies, motorbikes, bush walks, campfires, family sneaking up for a quick visit and sneaky catch-ups with neighbours.
Trades were still able to work through most of it, so we actually did the majority of our renovating in 2020 and 2021. We’ve been very selective about who works on our home over the years and have only used local trades. They’ve ranged from older men who once worked with or under Alistair Knox himself, to younger local trades who “get me” and are willing to give quirky things a go in this imperfect, handmade mudbrick house. I tend to have a bank of tradies that I call back.
As soon as I drive up our 400-metre-long driveway, I feel relaxed. Living rurally does come with some negatives, though. We do lots of driving and lots of driving the kids around! We’re approximately 30 kilometres out of the city and on a train line, with the journey into the city taking about an hour.
We need to account for travel time and be really organised, as you can’t just pop to the shops around the corner. Having a property is a lot of hard work and maintenance too.
This move was kind of a full-circle moment for me personally. I grew up in country Victoria, about five hours from Melbourne, and had a wonderful childhood and teenage life, but then I just wanted to get out of there and head to the city.
About 20 years later, I find myself back in a rural setting and can’t imagine bringing my children up anywhere else, or living anywhere else right now.
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The architecture has such a strong identity. What details did you fall in love with first?
Probably the mud brick walls, the texture of them and their imperfections. Our mud bricks were made locally over the road and with water from The Black Dam which is a historically significant site for artists and residents in the community. Although the kids sometimes say they just want a “normal house” with “normal walls” and “normal floors” like everyone else.
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Knowing the stories behind the house: the mud bricks, the church windows, the original owners, has that changed the way you've approached living here?
Getting to know the original owners made us want to name the house after them, hence Bowran House. Often, Knox homes were named after the original owners but this one hadn’t been.
The more we lived in this house and got to know the history of it, the less we wanted to touch it. Our philosophy has been to touch as little as possible. We have added things to suit modern needs instead of removing things and we have tried to use recycled materials and furniture where possible.
This home feels deeply connected to its surroundings. Is there a favourite view, window or spot where you feel that connection most?
Our home is so deeply connected to its surroundings, which was always intentional in Alistair Knox’s design. There are some days when I don’t even step outside because we have so many floor-to-ceiling windows and I’m always looking out. There are so many favourite views.
The best would have to be from the retreat, looking out over the hills and valley to the north. Another favourite is from the kitchen, where two huge ghost gums are beautifully framed by the windows. As they shed their bark with the seasons, their trunks reveal bright shades of orange, red, pink and rusty brown.
I also love the view from the master bedroom, looking north again, where we see magnificent sunrises and sunsets.
As a family we love to walk up to the hill, have a campfire, and look out to the beautiful views from that angle and the sunsets.
You've said your style changes depending on the architecture of the house. Can you tell us more about that?
I like to mix vintage pieces with contemporary ones, and I like the vintage pieces to somewhat reflect the era of the house I’m living in. For example, prior to this home, I lived in an Art Deco house and had a few Art Deco furniture pieces and objects that complemented the architecture.
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What’s the most recent thing you added that you’re still excited about?
The upcycled doors to the study, ensuite, master bedroom and walk-in robe. The master bedroom and walk-in robe had never had doors on them. There were vintage retro beaded curtains hanging in the doorways when we first purchased the house.
These doors took some work, though! They were a set of original leadlight bifold doors that we found on Marketplace. My husband travelled to Rye to collect them, and when they arrived home, I noticed that the leadlight had been painted, which totally put me off.
I ended up ordering some natural seagrass wallpaper from Etsy, and my go-to joiner removed the glass panels and replaced them with the wallpaper. We then sanded and stained the doors and found a chippy who was confident and experienced enough to custom-fit them within our wonky door jambs.
It was a tricky and time-consuming job, but I just love the outcome.
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What's the newest addition to the house that you're already convinced you'll keep forever?
Mum’s shell chandelier which she gifted me recently. I had always admired it. It was given to her by my grandfather in the early 80’s as a thank you gift for taking care of him after his wife passed. He purchased it when he was on a holiday in Queensland. I’ve always loved it.
What's the object in your home with the best story behind it?
Pinecones & Garlic, an artwork by Josh Fartch. It’s tiny, but it means a lot to me as it reminds me of the garlic fields my grandfather grew and tended around my childhood home, and the pinecones I used to collect on walks as a child so that I could paint them.
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With a whole lotta love xx