Mornington Peninsula: Merricks North lake house oasis where you can row from jetty to island
Artist and stylist Sarah Kuter is bidding farewell to her Merricks North lake house that was designed to blend into the surrounding bushland. Take a tour of the creative haven.
Artist and stylist Sarah Kuter’s peaceful and picturesque Mornington Peninsula property is a lakeside haven.
In 1998, Kuter and her late husband Leo, a civil engineer, snapped up the 19.02ha bushland block at 61 Bulldog Creek Rd, Merricks North, just three days after inspecting it.
They built and lived in a two-bedroom cottage, named The Treehouse, while the main three-bedroom house was constructed with architect Sue Mitchell and builder Rod Sly.
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A corrugated iron and timber weatherboard building, it was designed to blend into the bush surrounds.
“I wanted a simple home and not a lot of fuss,” Kuter says.
Her husband – whose company, Hueston Roofing, worked on high-profile projects including the MCG’s Shane Warne Stand, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and the State Library of Victoria’s dome upgrade – made the house’s roof.
The abode’s timber deck is the ideal place to watch the resident 70-plus bird species, including a pair of Powerful owls.
Most rooms provide scenic lake views, while the second living area with a study space features a wall of sliding windows.
Kuter credits the native Australian bush setting’s restorative powers for the home’s sense of privacy and serenity.
“It really is an oasis,” she says.
Leo designed a concrete hearth, with a fireplace upon it, that warms the open-plan kitchen, dining and living rooms.
And the main bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite.
“It is lovely, you can have a shower and watch the ducks on the lake go by,” Kuter says.
Her watercolour painting studio is accessed by an external staircase.
Artistic talent runs in the family. Kuter’s mother June Dyson one of Australia’s first female potters whose work is held in the National Gallery of Victoria.
Kuter’s siblings include a potter, sculptor and artist.
Her great uncle Will Dyson, a political cartoonist and Australia’s first official war artist, married Ruby Lindsay of the famous Lindsay art clan.
For more than a decade, Leo and Kuter operated a bed and breakfast from The Treehouse.
After this, she and their daughter Emma ran a business called Treehouse Textiles, teaching workshops on everything from quilting to dressmaking.
They opened a Mornington craft and fabric shop where Kuter styles the retail space and store windows.
Apart from working with Emma, Kuter’s cherished memories include seeing her grandchildren rowing a dinghy from the lake’s jetty to its small islands.
Elsewhere, more than 2ha of cleared land is divided into paddocks and vegetable gardens.
A large machinery shed houses a workshop, honey processing room and wine cellar.
Kaye & Burton’s Meg Pell says the property would make a wonderful weekender, work from home set-up or home for a couple looking to retire.
“It’s amazingly peaceful, beautiful and tucked away, but only 15 minutes to the beach and an hour to Melbourne,” Pell says.
The home is for sale with a $6.5m-$6.8m asking range.
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Originally published as Mornington Peninsula: Merricks North lake house oasis where you can row from jetty to island
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