An Undulating, Matte Black Home Hides a Secret Garden Within Its Walls

When viewed from the street, with homes straddling either side of it, the Portsea House has an exterior that doesn’t prepare you for what’s inside. That’s precisely how the owners wanted it, according to Melbourne-based Wood Marsh Architecture—they sought to surprise themselves and their visitors, too. 

"Its a very unusual building in the sense that it gives nothing away from the street," says founding partner and architect, Randal Marsh. The elements of light and dark—and openness and containment—drive the home’s design, anchored by a curving blade wall that unfurls like a scroll across the site, providing near-complete privacy from the street.