Balancing Contemporary Design with Heritage Significance, Stella Maris Presents as a Credible Framework for Contemporary Coastal Living

Positioned by the waterfront in Geelong’s Rippleside, Stella Maris centres around St Helens mansion, a well-known mid-19th century building that in past years has served, among other things, as a convent and place of learning.

Restored to its former glory by Melbourne-based property developer Monno, the heritage building has been reimagined as part of a larger residential facility that includes apartments and townhouses, as well community and lifestyle amenities.

Rothelowman, a practice with experience across the residential and commercial sectors, was responsible for the project.

Taking cues from the original building’s location – its views across Corio Bay, and established position within both the landscape and the local imagination – the architects allowed the horizon and the bay itself to guide their work.

The architecture establishes a restrained framework. Full-height glazing blurs the boundary between interior and bay, drawing coastal light deep into the living spaces, and natural stone anchors the kitchen and lends a sense of quiet permanence.

Melbourne-based furniture and styling studio Wildflower was invited to shape the lived experience of the interiors. Taking on this task, the ambition was not to impress, but to evoke: to suggest a life already unfolding, where each object feels intentional, settled and at ease within the space.

Complementing Wildflower’s interiors, Monno chose Artbank, a government support program focussed on the work of local artists, to embed a distinctly Australian narrative within the project.

The landscape, meanwhile, was designed by Acre. Apart from the heritage trees, some of which are more than 100 years old, the finished exterior includes a textural garden that mediates between the private interior and the expansive blue of Corio Bay.

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