Ember Mudgee

Set on an open paddock in the heart of the Mudgee wine region, Ember is a small, dark-clad house built around fire, light and slow living. A short drive from Mudgee's cellar doors and restaurants, it's close enough to town, far enough to feel like your own world.

Ember is small by design: two bedrooms, one living space, and not much else. Entry is from the south, opening into a wall of north-facing windows holding the mountains and valley beyond. A kitchen sits at the centre of the plan, splitting the bedrooms from the living space — since everyone always ends up there anyway.

Materials are warm and restrained: polished concrete floors, timber wall panelling in native Australian blackbutt, and ceramic tiles, with a dark, charred-toned timber shell outside — where the name comes from. The design carries two heritages at once, Derek's Australian roots and Alyssa's Japanese-American background, shaping a calm, considered feel throughout.

Ember sleeps up to four guests, with a full working kitchen, a wood fire inside and one outside under the stars, and a layout made for both quiet and company. It's not a fancy house — just the kind you arrive at tired and leave slow.