Taking it sky-high

Olympian Lydia Lassila gives us a tour of her stunning hilltop retreat

There’s something very special about the home of Olympic gold medallist Lydia Lassila. Nestled among the gumtrees in a sleepy enclave on Victoria’s rugged Surf Coast, with breathtaking ocean views as a backdrop, this is a home at one with its glorious surrounds. But what makes this eco-friendly abode a true joy to step into is knowing it’s a home Lydia and husband Lauri helped build from the ground up. To the creative couple, who have two sons, stamping every corner of the home with their style was an at-times arduous, yet infinitely rewarding, three-year journey. “We designed the house ourselves and worked on each stage of the build, because we knew exactly what we wanted,” says Lydia, who enlisted the help of her father, and local tradespeople, to help create their dream abode. And now, explains the fearless five-time Winter Olympian – who was the first woman in history to execute a quad-twisting triple somersault – she and Lauri simply can’t imagine putting roots down anywhere else. “Nothing is forever, but I do feel that this is the forever house,” reflects Lydia, who is the subject of the acclaimed documentary The Will To Fly. That’s not to say the duo, who met eight years ago in Canada, have always lived by the sea. Lauri, born and bred in Finland and now working in the IT industry, also once travelled around the world as a professional freestyle skier. And Lydia, who recently competed in the reality television show Australian Survivor and is now happily juggling motherhood with her role as the founder and director of cold therapy business BodyICE, grew up in the suburbs of Melbourne. “But this part of the coast was a place where I’d always holidayed,” she recalls. “My father’s side of the family used to camp on the foreshore before there were many houses around and I’ve always felt so peaceful being here.” In 2014, Lydia and Lauri, then parents to Kai, enjoyed a happy weekend in the region. “At the time, Alek was on his way and we were looking to upsize,” says Lydia. “I said to Lauri, ‘We’re both running online businesses now, so we don’t really need to be in Melbourne anymore. Why don’t we make our new home here?’ We found a block of land and knew straight away that this was the spot we wanted to wake up to every morning.” Before long, the couple’s vision of creating an eco-friendly build that sat seamlessly in the landscape was on its way to becoming a reality. “We set out to build a home that would reflect our style, as well as our ideas of functionality and efficiency,” says Lydia. “It’s a super-efficient house with double-glazed windows and ECO-Block walls and it sits on two concrete slabs heated by water jackets in the fireplaces.” Purist in design, the home’s earthy finishes of textured timber, concrete and rock-clad feature walls celebrate the landscape. “Our home,” says Lydia with a smile, “is just us. We’ve put a lot of heart and soul into it, and we’re pretty happy with what we’ve created. It’s just a place we really enjoy coming home to.”

“We didn’t rush with the decorating – once you’ve LIVED in a space, you realise what that space needs” ~ Lydia

“We’re always HAVING family and friends over” ~ Lydia

“It was IMPORTANT to us that the spaces flow really well” ~ Lydia

“Next on the WISH LIST is a little YOGA studio downstairs for me, as well as more landscaping and putting in a trampoline” ~ Lydia

SAUNA

“In the Finnish culture, the sauna is the most important room of the house so, with Lauri being Scandinavian, it was the first room that was finished,” says Lydia of the room-with-a-view (top). “A sauna is part of our weekly ritual and it’s a really nice thing to do as a family.”

BOYS’ BEDROOM

“For now, the boys share a room, which they love,” says Lydia. “We have a custom-made bunk bed in here with a trundle that slides out for sleepovers.” She kept the costs down by painting the bed herself (left). “It has great storage drawers on the side and shelves up the top,” she adds. A graphic yellow quilt cover, which Lydia found at Target, makes a sunny statement in the room.

UPPER DECK

Floating among the treetops, and with that jaw-dropping outlook, the elevated deck is just heavenly (opposite). “We’ll never get sick of this view,” says Lydia, relaxing with Lauri, Alek and Kai. “The view changes with the seasons and it can change within the hour, too, as a storm rolls through. It’s so lovely.” Deck chairs made of wood and rope from Nordic company EcoFurn signal time-out for the family. “I love sitting here with a coffee when the sun’s out,” says Lydia.

INTO THE BLUE With its hilltop position along the Victorian coastline, the home of Lydia Lassila (pictured opposite), her husband, Lauri, and their sons Kai and Alek, is a summertime haven. Unsurprisingly a drawcard for friends and family, it is the kitchen where you are likely to find Lydia and her family. “I love to cook and entertain, so this is where we spend most of our time,” she says. Giving the kitchen a robust yet contemporary edge, the concrete benchtops were the work of multi-talented Lauri. “Lauri went from being an IT guy, who had probably just used a power tool to mount skis, to being really handy,” says his proud wife. “He made all of the kitchen benchtops.”

ENTRY Taking its design cues from a North American log cabin, the handcrafted stacked-stone wall in the entry (opposite far left) leaves a lasting first impression. “It took me ages to find the type of rock I was looking for,” says Lydia, pictured with Alek and Kai. “We found this rock through the company Norstone, and I absolutely love it.” The natural, earthy tones continue into the colour palette of the family lounge room (opposite left). FAMILY LIVING ROOM A cherished original work by Victorian abstract artist Nicky Kriss brings a burst of colour to the family room (below). “I asked her to paint something that represented the things that Lauri and I love – the ocean and the sunset,” says Lydia. “She created this piece called ‘When Two Worlds Collide’ and it’s just gorgeous.” A modular grey sofa from King Living is anchored by the ‘Abstract Monet’ rug from Temple & Webster.

LOUNGE ROOM In the downstairs lounge, where a tan leather sofa from Pottery Barn sits atop a grey wool rug from Temple & Webster, a bespoke timber storage unit serves a dual purpose (above). As well as acting as a wall divider between the chill-out zone and the adjacent home office, it provides a unique showcase for everything from books to indoor plants and favourite collectables. “We wanted to separate the two spaces while still allowing light to come through,” says Lydia. “I drew it up on paper and our carpenter Jackson made it.”