A Tonal Tasmanian Home Inspired By Mid-Century Design

We Ponder House is located in Sorell, Tasmania.

The new build is clad in raw sawn Tasmanian Oak.

Flat rooflines and floor-to-ceiling windows are one way the property channels mid-century architecture.

The house is built on a one-hectare block, designed around a large oak tree and new fruit trees planted nearby.

An enormous timber door invites guests into the light-filled abode.

Tasmanian oak features heavily throughout the timeless interiors, alongside warm tones of cream and orange.

Kitchen splashback made with pavers from Brickworks.

A central island bench is the hero feature of the open-plan kitchen.

Custom burnt orange boucle cushions by Decorama. ‘It is such a great cozy conversation pit or movie theatre space,’ Rose says.

‘I liked the idea of creating the stairs leading into the lounge out of brick facing I selected for the kitchen.’

Almost every room in the house enjoys lush views.

Each room frames picture-perfect views out to the rolling hills.

The house features two sleek bathrooms, with We Ponder ceramic lights.

The best part is how the interiors light up at night!

Dimitry and Rose Kiselev — the founders of We Ponder and We Ponder Interiors — moved to Tasmania in 2020 in hopes of finding a place to call home, that they could renovate or build from scratch.

‘We craved the idea of living in a quaint town with ample space and a colder climate, reminiscent of the time we met one another in Canada 10 years ago,’ Rose, an interior designer, says.

The couple sold their Gold Coast properties, packed up their lives in a trailer and made a ‘mad dash’ down to coast to make the move before borders closed during lockdown. And despite having never visited Tasmania before, the couple quickly fell in love with a plot of land in a north-east town called Sorell, where they’ve created a new north-facing house with views of rolling country hills.

‘The location seemed perfect, as it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere whilst being only a two-minute drive from the centre of the town, and only a 20-minute drive from Hobart city, the perfect blend of rural living and convenience combined,’ Rose adds.

Working in collaboration with Align and Saxon Hall Architecture, the couple’s brief for their new home was to build a simple, unassuming three-bedroom, two-bathroom home – but each room had to have a ‘picture perfect’ outlook view of their serene one-hectare property, framed around a large oak tree.

Rose also looked to the mid-century era for inspiration, designing the open-plan living room’s sunken lounge — which was another of the couple’s few ‘non-negotiables’! Custom-made boucle cushions in a burnt orange colour help bring this retro vibe to life.

‘We were also very excited with the suggestion to clad the exterior in raw sawn Tasmanian Oak,’ Rose says – something that would’ve been almost impossible in Queensland due to the state’s termite issues.

In order to stick within budget, they compromised on their initial dream for high ceilings, to ensure they were able to include floor-to-ceiling windows, lined with a full wall of soft sheer curtains. As lighting designers, it was also only right that their home would also transform into a glowing, atmospheric space in the evenings, and this was achieved with the addition of textural wall lights from their ceramic lighting brand, We Ponder.

‘When drawn during the day, [the curtains] cast an incredible textured pattern across the whole living, lounge and kitchen space especially in the middle of winter when the sun is low,’ Rose adds.

‘At night it feels as though the house is tucking you in at night, and giving you a big warm hug.’