Seven years ago, we subdivided the land we had lived on for almost four decades, sold our original home there, and built a smaller house further up the hill!

There is evidence that mud bricks or compressed earth blocks were used for construction approximately 10,000 years ago in both Africa and the Middle East. The way that mud bricks have been made more recently is not too different from the ancient world.

The kitchen/living area of our own home includes mud bricks and so do two of the bedrooms. We have a 12 metre rammed earth wall down the hallway, which is like the spine of the house. It’s the colour of dark chocolate and all our visitors want to touch it!

We have a 5kw solar system, which comprises 20 solar panels, 24 storage batteries with an 1100 amp hours storage capacity. Powered by the sun, this provides sufficient energy for both our home and the studio.

Gardening is my passion. In a busy life, it grounds me, takes my mind away from business, is my creative outlet and reminds me that getting my hands in the soil is a really good feeling!

The River Studio looks out onto one of the last tracts of natural bushland near the city. Over the years, we have planted hundreds of trees across our original, 2.4 hectare block. Much of the wood we burn in our own home has been harvested from this site, working with nature’s cycle of renewal.

Our guests often ask us about the unusual feature wall behind the bed in the studio.

The wall is hand-made from soil and clay, sourced locally. Using the same materials as the compressed earth blocks or mud bricks, the mix was compressed inside formwork which acts like a mould; similar to the method used for concrete pours. Vegetable oil was used to coat the inside of the formwork to prevent the mix from sticking to the sides. The oil also ensures a smoother surface on the wall.