South House Stories

The Design

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 05:28:45 GMT

Colour, Texture, Coastline: The Design Story Behind South House

The Design of South House: Merimbula, Rendered in Colour and Texture

Some hotels are decorated. South House was designed — from the outside in, starting with the place itself.

Merimbula sits at the point where a tidal lake meets the open Pacific, framed by eucalypt forest, weathered timber jetties and long stretches of sand that shift colour with the tide. That landscape isn't a mood board for South House — it's the brief. Every material, colour and finish in the building was chosen to hold a conversation with what's just outside the window.

A palette pulled from the lake and the sea

Walk through South House and you're moving through the tonal range of Merimbula itself: the deep sapphire-green of the lake at low tide, the bleached driftwood grey of the boardwalk, the warm ochre of the sand dunes at Short Point, the soft eucalyptus tones of the surrounding bushland. [Designer Olivia Naim describes the approach as "

Rather than a single feature colour, the palette shifts room to room and level to level — cooler, more aquatic tones toward the water-facing rooms, warmer earth and timber tones as you move back through the building toward the bush-facing side. It's a quiet piece of wayfinding: you can almost tell which way you're facing by the colour of the wall.

Texture over ornament

South House leans on texture rather than decoration to do the work. Expect to feel, as much as see:

Reclaimed and reworked timber in flooring, joinery and furniture, referencing the jetties and boat sheds that line the lake
Hand-finished plaster and lime-washed walls , so surfaces catch light the way sandstone and sea cliffs do at different times of day
Natural stone and rope detailing , nodding to the working harbour history of the Sapphire Coast
Woven and loose-weave textiles , echoing dune grass and coastal scrub

Designed to be lived in, not just photographed

The brief for Olivia Naim wasn't a showpiece — it was a place that felt inevitable, like it had grown out of the site rather than been placed on it. Furniture is generous rather than precious. Light is treated as a material in its own right, with the building oriented and glazed to track the sun across the lake through the day. Public spaces — the fireside bar, the poolside lounge — are built for long, unhurried stays, not fast turnover.

That's the real design story of South House: not a set of finishes, but a decision to let Merimbula design the hotel, and for the hotel to get out of the way and let it.

South House Local Love

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 03:43:04 GMT

A hotel can source from anywhere. South House chose not to.

From the wine list to the minibar, from the tradespeople who built the place to the tour operators we send our guests out with, South House runs on a simple rule: if it can come from the Sapphire Coast, it does.

Fireside and poolside, and open to everyone

South House has two bars - one fireside, one poolside and both are open to the public, not just hotel guests. It's a deliberate choice. We wanted South House to be a place locals come to as much as travellers, because that's the only way a "local" bar means anything.

Both bars run a rotating list built around the region, NSW and Australian producers:

Beer our signature brew is from the Southern Highlands NSW
North of Eden , for spirits sourced from the Eden
Love Tea , for the rooms and common areas from Melbourne
Chocolate locally produced by Waratah Chocolate
Local Art by Kym Brookes Coastal Clay wall Art
Photography Art by Robbie - No Bad Days

Built by local trades, where possible

The building itself tells the same story. Wherever a local tradesperson, joiner, stonemason or supplier could do the work, South House used them — a decision that shaped everything from the locally formed balastrades to the joinery finishes in every room.

Sending guests further into the community

Local love doesn't stop at the bar. South House actively partners with and recommends independent Sapphire Coast tour operators — dive charters, kayak and paddleboard hire, fishing guides, wildlife and whale-watching tours — rather than running everything in-house. When you ask our team "what should I do today?", the answer is almost always a local business's name and number. Plus our digital guide has all the best operators listed and all as close as your mobile phone to book.

Come as a guest, or just come for a drink

You don't need to be staying at South House to experience it. Pull up a stool fireside on a cool evening or poolside on a warm one, order something made within a few hours' drive, and you'll understand what we mean by local love , we think the vibe at the pool bar is pretty special and after a full day of adventure, who better share a tale with than a local.

House Bars: Visit the fireside or poolside bar any evening 5-7pm - book a table or walk in.

Merimbula for Adventurous Travellers

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 03:43:04 GMT

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