Barn House celebrates grounded, intentional architecture with natural stone material palette

Nestled in the Eastern Sydney suburb of Randwick, Barn House reimagines the traditional barn form for a contemporary setting. Designed by Mona Hashemi of Hatch Architects as a refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life, the home’s carefully curated material palette was selected to create a sense of grounded connection.  

“The brief for Barn House was to transform a dilapidated dual occupancy dwelling to a contemporary family home that felt grounded in its setting while offering moments of surprise, warmth, and refinement,” says Architect Mona Hashemi. 

“Internally, the spaces needed to be calm, robust, and highly functional for daily family life, yet layered with texture and natural light to create a sense of space and comfort. Externally, a spacious and quiet north-facing garden, swimming pool and pool house were envisioned to provide a space for both entertaining and relaxation. Materiality played a key role — we were looking for finishes that felt timeless, durable and deeply connected to the landscape.”

To unify form, landscape, and function across the site, Mona specified a collection of natural stone elements from Sareen Stone — chosen not only for their beauty, but for the grounded feeling they evoke.

“Mona came to us with a design centred around creating a refined yet highly durable family home with strong street presence and a resort-style outdoor entertaining zone,” says Michael Mastro of Sareen Stone. 

With resale in the near future, material selection needed to be timeless rather than trend-driven. The driveway and entry required a hard-wearing, P5-rated surface suitable for vehicles, with a mid-light grey tone to complement the architecture. Silhouette Grey Flamed Granite Cobblestones and Pavers were selected for this area thanks to their density, slip resistance, and cohesive hue.

In the backyard, the alfresco and pool areas were designed for a relaxed and resort-inspired feel, with Lavarosa Alfresco Limestone and Cathedral Crazy Paving in Alfresco finish chosen for their warm tones and complementary textures. Aiming to strike a balance between structured entertaining spaces and softer, more organic pool surrounds, these two stones fit the brief perfectly. 

To create indoor-outdoor flow, Mona specified Summit Wall Cladding for both the internal fireplace and external chimney wall, drawing a connection between the two spaces and reinforcing the home’s architectural character.

“Natural stone became one of the key devices for anchoring the building to its site and reinforcing the sense of permanence we were seeking. The tonal variation of limestone and granite paving, loose stacked stone chimney, and Superwhite Dolomite kitchen benchtops and splashback introduced a quiet richness without overpowering the architecture, allowing the form of the house to remain legible and restrained. At a practical level, the durability and low-maintenance qualities of the natural stone made it ideal for a busy family home, while its refined finish elevated the everyday experience of the interiors. The material moves seamlessly from indoors to outdoors, creating continuity and a cohesive palette,” Mona says.

Of course, no project is without its challenges, which meant Sareen Stone needed to work closely with the team on site to ensure everything ran smoothly.

“The primary challenge was stock timing and material allocation during the build schedule. To ensure continuity and availability, we worked closely with the clients to secure quantities in advance and arranged for storage until the site was ready to receive delivery. This provided certainty during construction and avoided delays — particularly significant in projects where multiple materials need to align across staged works,” Michael explains.

Thanks to the support and expertise of the Sareen Stone team, Hatch Architects delivered a stunning home that truly showcases the beauty and functionality of natural stone. 

“The project was a strong success. Each product was selected to suit its specific application while contributing to a cohesive overall material palette. The home actually sold shortly after completion — a record result in the area — reflecting the quality of design and material selection,” Michael says.

Equally pleased with the result, Mona reflects fondly on the partnership with Sareen Stone.

“Michael at Sareen Stone was a genuine collaborator from the early selection phase through to installation. He had a deep understanding of the materials — not just in terms of aesthetics, but also performance, scale and detailing and guided us on many details, including stair tread edge details and stacked stone mortar specifications for the stonemason.”

Learn more about Sareen Stone.

Photography: Huw Lambert.