Le Cateau by M1 Designs

Heidi Build

“Le Cateau sits atop a sloping site neighbouring an old bluestone homestead. The design and build was focussed around creating contemporary Australian architecture as a nod to the neighbouring bluestone residence”

Located on what used to be a vegetable garden that formed part of a bluestone homestead, Le Cateau is now a family home designed with integrity and consideration to its surroundings. The thought behind the aesthetic and material palette combines robust finishes and native Australian timbers, reflecting the crafted nature of the home and neighbouring landscape.

Le Cateau is the brain-child of M1 Designs, a Melbourne based architecture firm that pride themselves on offering a specialised and customised service unique to each client and their individual projects. With this in mind, the team created Le Cateau as a set of “spaces that interact with people and … connect to the surrounding built environment”.

At the forefront of the design was ensuring resources such as energy, water and materials are used efficiently, so it was important to choose recyclable materials and local products. A prime example is the locally manufactured windows and doors by Binq Windows which include north facing triple glazed timber sliding doors that help contribute to a 7 star NatHERS rating.

GoodWood Victorian ash was used for the windows and doors, along with the staircase and joinery to match. Sustainably sourced and manufactured at our world class facility, GoodWood Victorian ash is a hard-wearing, strong and visually stunning timber available in a variety of applications for a seamless design. Learn more about GoodWood here.

Binq windows

“Ensuring resources such as energy, water and materials are used efficiently by minimising and managing waste, using recycled or recyclable materials and localising procurement was a conscious decision for Le Cateau”