Coachella vibes with mid-century design: Five homes to call your own

For pop and alternative music fans, April is Coachella month.

The iconic music and arts festival held over two consecutive weekends in a dreamscape Californian desert just moments away from Palm Springs is the place to see and be seen.

Since its first iteration in 1993, when grunge pioneers Pearl Jam played at the Empire Polo Club, it has become much more than a music and arts festival in the proverbial middle of nowhere.

It’s still about the music — this year’s headline acts included Lady Gaga, Charlie XCX, FKA Twigs, and Green Day, a gesture to those grunge, punk roots — but it’s as much about fashion and design.

If you’re travelling all the way out to the desert to immerse yourself in music, art and culture, why not drive another 35 minutes up the road to Palm Springs to soak in classic mid-century American architecture?

The mid-century modern movement, both in the US and here in Australia, can be distilled to an ethos of truth to materials, simple, clean lines, and a prioritisation of functionality.

It’s a shrugging off of unnecessary adornment for adornment’s sake.

From an architectural perspective, this ethos is translated into homes for living.

Think interconnected, multi-functional zones and integrated modern technologies.

Festivalgoers flocked to Coachella in the Californian desert this month. Picture Instagram

Natural, local materials often retained in their semi-raw state, allowed to develop the patina of age.

Bold, block colours and the beginning of our obsession with bringing the outdoors in.

The mid-century aesthetic of Australia is vastly different from Palm Springs, as you’d expect given our unique environment and climate.

However, if you’re in the market for a family home that oozes authentic character and just works the way a family home should, here are five gems that stand the test of time that you can call your own:

14 Fay Street, Eltham, Victoria

From its raked ceilings, red brick floors, mudbrick walls and very Palm Springs-esque kidney-shaped inground pool, 14 Fay Street in Eltham is elevated and updated mid-century style living.

Boasting four bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple living zones and a double carport on 1094 square metres of land with established gardens, this home is a seamless blend of contemporary upgrades and retained original materials.

On the market with Jellis Craig Eltham, the price guide of $1.65 million makes this a relatively affordable forever family home with a warm heart.

The standout mid-century style moment has to be the elevated living room at the home’s northern end.

Bathed in light and looking out towards the pool, you can easily imagine Don Draper alighting the stairs to settle in front of the fireplace for the night, whiskey in hand.

33-37 Grandview Road, Warrandyte, Victoria

Sitting on an elevated 6.5-acre block with thoughtfully landscaped grounds is 33-37 Grandview Road, Warrandyte.

Designed to take in the breathtaking treetop vista from almost every room, this exceptional mid-century home is on the market for $2.9 million to $3.1 million through listing agents David Alvares and Krista Kennelly of Hoskings Premium Property People, Croydon

With multiple indoor and outdoor living zones that flow seamlessly from one another, a huge rumpus room and an inground pool with views to the treetops beyond, this home has been designed with living well in mind.

Once again, we find high, timber-lined raked ceilings, easy-care stone flooring, abundant light from natural timber-framed windows positioned to capture the sun from multiple angles, and an elevated living room.

Mid-century cool with a distinctly Melbourne feel.

64 Burdekin Crescent, St Ives, NSW

Only 30 minutes from Sydney CBD is a mid-century oasis.

64 Burdekin Crescent, St Ives, is for sale with an asking price of $2.295 million through Matt Lai and James Yahl of Chan Yahl St Ives.

With its ruby red front door, vertical timber cladding and futuristic font nameplate proudly announcing its name, ‘The Treehouse’ is a mid-century classic.

Thoughtfully modernised without losing any of its original design ethos of simple functionality integrated with nature, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is perfectly liveable, with scope to add your touch and adapt it perfectly for your family’s needs.

Alive with dappled sunlight, this is one of those special places that makes you exhale and your shoulders gently drop.

Follow the path down that leads through the garden, and you’ll discover a magical terrace nestled among mature trees bursting with birdsong.

The perfect place to unwind and forget the day as the sun sets.

16-18 Mount Malvern Road, Chandlers Hill, SA

Technically not mid-century, this early 1970s build at 16-18 Mount Malvern Road in Chandlers Hill is nevertheless imbued with a mid-century design ethos.

From the use of natural brick, slate and timber throughout, high-pitched ceilings that create a cathedral-like atmosphere while letting natural light flood in through strategically placed windows, and another elevated living zone, this architecturally designed home is bursting with bold style moments.

From its elevated position, this three-bedroom, two bathroom home has views across the Adelaide coastline and is moments from the McLaren Vale wine region.

The large 2,300 square metre block is ripe for further enhancement, making it the ideal scenario for a wine-loving, design-obsessed buyer with vision.

Listed for sale for $1.4 million to $1.5 million with Torney of Harcourts Tagani, this is the first time the property has been on the market in decades.

28 Fairholm Street, East Toowoomba, QLD

While most certainly not a mid-century original, this stunning contemporary home in East Toowoomba is designed by Marc & Co architects, whose ethos is grounded in working with the landscape and natural materials to create sustainable homes that transcend trends and feel like they have always been where they are.

You could say theirs is a very mid-century state of mind.

The home itself is the epitome of prestige Queensland real estate.

Five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a wine cellar, a tennis court, a plunge pool, and multiple indoor and outdoor living zones are all interconnected seamlessly through a richly layered interior scheme that echoes the colour and textures of East Toowoomba.

As we’ve seen in actual mid-century homes, natural materials and natural light are the stars of the show.

And, there are also moments where curves are contrasted with formal linearity to offer a sense of friendliness - the bespoke curved breakfast nook, the plump curved edges of the custom fireplace, and the perfect arc of the pool projected north to take in breathtaking views of Table Top Mountain.

For sale by negotiation through Andrew Webster and Sam Marsden of Webster Cavanagh Marsden Toowoomba City, if you’re in the market for a singular and special home that will become a future design classic, this is it.