Villa XXIII — Three Wings Orchestrate Life Across a Terraced Site
Villa XXIII settles into the hillside of Eaglemont, Victoria, Australia with a quiet confidence. Designed by FGR Architects, the house moves low and long across two steep allotments and takes its cues from the Mount Eagle estate’s landscape and legacy. Completed in 2024, it brings a restrained palette and a clear plan to a storied terrain where light and vegetation shape daily life.
Sun tracks the ridge as the house reads as a long, horizontal line. At the turn-in, travertine and glass sit against mature vegetation and a measured fall of land.
This is a house shaped by plan and sequence: a low-set residence in Eaglemont by FGR Architects that spans two sloping allotments with a clear, three-part organization. The approach stays quiet, yet the routing is precise and legible. Movement, views, and courtyards are tuned to the contours and the neighboring sightlines.
Set Along Contours
The volume stretches across the hillside rather than stepping up it, keeping a strong horizontal datum that calms the elevation. Roof and slab align to the terrain so rooms hold steady views while preserving privacy from adjacent properties. Mature trees bracket the outlook and temper glare, while the long profile keeps the building low in the landscape (a deliberate nod to local precedent).
Organize Three Zones
The plan resolves into a trio of distinct wings. A private band gathers bedrooms, studies, and a generous kitchen and living room, setting the daily core in one continuous run for easy circulation. At center, a breezeway becomes the hinge—outdoor entertaining to one side, a garden retreat and a sheltered lounge to the other. To the west, a wellness wing places a gym and guest suite on axis with an infinity-edge pool, tightening the connection between exercise, rest, and water.
Carve the Breezeway
Passing through the breezeway shifts the microclimate and the mood. Shade, airflow, and the orientation of openings make this outdoor room a true living link, not just a passage. In fair weather it spools daily life into the garden; in harsher conditions, its protected lounge holds the middle ground between interior calm and the exposed edge by the pool.
Light the Interiors
Ceilings rise to 3.1m (10.2 ft), and full-height glazing pulls light deep into the plan. A circular skylight draws a precise cone of daylight onto a verdigris marble wall, turning the cycle of the day into a slow animation. Floating travertine stairs express the material palette in relief, while concrete and stone keep weight and tactility in balance.
Material Rhythm
Travertine, concrete, glass, and stone form a disciplined quartet—each used with restraint and clear intent. The palette carries outside to terraces and the pool edge, so movement across thresholds stays fluid and legible. Subtle detailing keeps the composition calm, and the durable finishes read as a long-term commitment to the site’s climate and use.
Late light grazes the travertine as the pool mirrors the sky. From the breezeway to the west wing, the plan continues to guide how air, shade, and view are found. The result is steady and exact, a hillside house that takes its measure from contour, vegetation, and light.
Photography by Peter Bennetts
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