Innholdsfortegnelse for 2408 i Home Beautiful Specials

RELAXED INTERIORS ARE SYNONYMOUS with the Australian way of life. Our love of the outdoors, close proximity to nature and penchant for entertaining all influence the way we use and decorate our homes. Materials are longwearing to withstand the harsh weather conditions, colour palettes take their cue from the surrounding water, trees and sunburnt earth, and layouts cater for communal gatherings and precious alone time. In particular, kitchens, bathrooms and laundries are designed to enhance life’s simplest tasks – from cooking to cleaning – bringing joy to every moment we spend at home. The following pages are filled with homes that offer their own individual take on Australian style – enjoy.…

IT WASN’T THE INTERIOR of the house that first attracted owners Angela and Angus to this waterfront property on Sydney’s North Shore, but its stunning location and incredible view, both promising a laidback lifestyle to contrast their busy working lives. Inside, the floor plans over five levels were vast, starting with the garage, kids’ bedrooms, master suite, formal entertaining, family living and finally, at the bottom, a pool cabana and rumpus room with its own entrance. However, the decor didn’t reflect its magnificence. “We wanted to make this house our home,” says Angela simply. To bring their vision to life, the couple enlisted interior designer Jodie Carter, who says, “Angela didn’t envisage a ‘typical’ grand home, she wanted to inject individuality into the design and draw on the water and…

WHEN CERAMIC ARTIST Cinnamon, her husband Scott and their children, Tide, 17, and Minty, 15, started to outgrow the ’70s worker’s cottage that they’d owned for nearly 20 years, they had to decide whether to renovate or move. Renovation won out, as they realised how much they loved the village feel of their northern Gold Coast suburb. “It’s hard to replace that sense of community,” says Cinnamon. “It’s close to Scott’s work, the kids’ schools and, importantly for me, only a two-minute walk to good coffee!” The plan was to retain the aesthetic of the single level, pitched roof cottage but add a second storey to house the bedrooms. Unfortunately, height restrictions dictated otherwise, and the best solution resulted in a flat roof. “This completely changed the look of the…

NOT EVERYONE DREAMS of finding a forever home. For many renovators who have caught the fixer-upper bug, the lure of revamping a property is irresistible. This was true for interior designer Janette Stritt and her husband Alex, a building designer and builder, who found a large block nestled in Sydney’s Northern Beaches that was pleading for a new life. The old house had seen better days and the garden was completely overgrown. However, the coastal locale and mature palm trees on the sprawling 1330-square-metre site clinched the deal. The couple embarked upon a 12-month knockdown rebuild, working to a design brief that extended from the front gate to the rear boundary, with Janette taking the interiors under her wing and Alex designing and building the home, cabana and pool. The…

THE BIG BLOCK with a stretch of lawn suitable for backyard cricket and two rambunctious Groodles sealed the deal for Brisbane couple Ebony and Eric when buying this property three years ago. “We loved the existing house but bought it with the plan to do a big renovation and enlarge it to be a forever family home, with kids in mind down the track,” reflects Ebony. After engaging JMH Design, the couple relocated to the existing pool house, fitted out with the essentials, and watched in awe as their pint-sized home gained a lower level and expanded top and bottom to encompass four additional bedrooms, several bathrooms and a new open-plan kitchen, living and dining area. Rather than adhere to a certain theme or style, Ebony, who’s an interior designer,…

ENAMOURED WITH THE LOCATION of this 1920s-era home so close to the water in Melbourne’s South West, the new owners were willing to do whatever it took to transform it into a more functional and family-friendly abode. They enlisted the help of interior designer Sarah McPhee of Sarah McPhee Interiors to work her magic on the tired and cluttered interior, and didn’t hesitate to follow her advice of gutting the lot. “I had followed Sarah’s work for many years,” says the homeowner. “I love her timeless designs and how she mixes patterns and colour in a restrained way.” Inside, Sarah replaced timber doors, hardware, cornicing and architraves with like-for-like to keep the home’s original integrity, and utilised Shaker-profile joinery in the kitchen, bathrooms, living spaces, bedrooms and laundry for a…

THE UPWARD EXTENSION of this humble worker’s cottage in a northern suburb of the Gold Coast in Queensland gave owners Cinnamon and Scott just the excuse they needed to completely reinvigorate their family home’s interiors. A ceramicist by trade, Cinnamon utilises organic textures and neutral tones in her sculptural pieces, while natural light is a crucial tool in their creation, so all three factors came to play in the design and decoration of each room within the renovated home. And with two teens living under the same roof – the couple’s children Tide, 17, and Minty, 15 – it was important that everyone have their own space. As a result, each of the three upstairs bedrooms, along with the ground floor guest room, enjoy their own ensuite. The star of…

A CHICKEN COOP isn’t often a deciding factor in real estate purchases, but for Miki and Nihad’s young son, Amar, it was the most compelling reason for the family to buy a little 1940s cottage in Brisbane’s eastern suburbs. “We were attracted to the location and flat block, but Amar was completely smitten with the three chickens that came with it,” recalls Miki. The plan was to knock down the house and rebuild, using her husband Nihad’s company, HNT Builders, but after buying the property in late 2021, the family lived in the original house for almost a year, while Amar enthusiastically tended to his mostly free-ranging trio of hens. Having previously built five homes for themselves, Miki and Nihad wanted to create something unique. And with the arrival of…

IT’S FAIR TO SAY that the house in the Nancy Meyers film Something’s Gotta Give has inspired the interiors of many homes, but possibly none quite as beautifully interpreted as this stunning family getaway on the NSW Central Coast. With interiors created by Greg Natale Design, it is a clever blend of coast and country, ideal for its location in bushland, yet not too far from the beach. “The clients came with a really clear idea and concept,” recalls Greg. “They wanted the house from Something’s Gotta Give, they wanted that Cape Cod-style home, and that style is traditional with a coastal layer on it.” The owners’ wish list featured dark timber floorboards, which ground the rich patterns and colours splashed throughout the interiors, including vivid blue Shaker-style cabinetry in…

SUE AND JUSTIN have always enjoyed living in older homes in various parts of the world, from a genuine Californian bungalow in California, to a 15th century cottage in the English county of Norfolk and a Victorian brick terrace in Melbourne. A common thread has been Sue’s interior style, which melds vintage finds and a joyful kaleidoscope of artworks and textiles. “I’ve become bolder over the years; each house has been more colourful than the last,” says Sue. When the couple sold their Brisbane home, including almost all of its contents, they decided to start afresh and embrace a tree change to Eumundi in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland. A semi-renovated, circa 1910 farmhouse on two acres proved the perfect place to do just that. “It instantly felt right and offered…

WHILE SOME PEOPLE like to settle in a home long-term, for Brisbane builder Nihad, wife Miki and their two young boys Amar and Arian, a large part of ‘the joy of home’ is the creation process. “This is the sixth house we’ve had that Nihad has built in 10 years and each time we’ve done something very different from the last,” says Miki of their latest build in Brisbane’s eastern suburbs. For this home, the focus was on family-friendly inclusions and robust finishes. “We’ve learnt something new every time we’ve built and, with kids, we’ve found the best designs are a seamless floor plan front to back and an open-plan layout overlooking the backyard,” says Miki. Engaging long-term collaborators, Dane and Rebecca Power of Koda Design, the brief was to…

FOR BRISBANE COUPLE Ashley and Chad, Bali has always been their go-to travel destination to escape the day to day, soak up some sun and unwind. Year after year, they’d return to their favourite villas nestled among sprawling pools flanked in dense tropical greenery. Yet the arrival of their young daughters Asta and Maya, coupled with the pandemic, put a halt to regular trips. “I wanted to create a home with many of the features we loved about Bali villas to give us that holiday feel year-round,” recalls Ashley, whose background in fashion and real estate proved a great skill set to conceptualise the design. The couple were inspired by the island’s modern, minimalist villas infused with natural light, organic materials and a seamless indoor-outdoor connection, focused around a spectacular…

PERCHED ON A HILL overlooking some of Queensland’s prettiest farmland, this contemporary rural residence is a dream home for Annabelle and Rob and their three adult children. Perfectly positioned to capture 360-degree district views, it’s an elegant take on the classic Australian homestead. However, while the home is beautifully designed, practicality was still top of mind for the couple, who run a local business and entertain frequently. “We didn’t want a showpiece,” explains Annabelle. “I wanted it to be a house that the kids want to come home to and feel like it’s lived in.” Adds Rob: “We wanted a functional house; a house to live in. We’ve got three adult kids now and we love entertaining with family and friends. However, we didn’t want wasted space.” Rob says the…

A CHARACTER HOME in Brisbane has been transformed into a stately family dwelling for Lorena and Sergei and their three teenaged sons, thanks to a clever reconfiguration that saw a new lower level added underneath. In the home’s original ground floor – now the upper level – there’s plenty of room to spread out, with the couple’s tranquil bedroom and ensuite at the front, the boy’s bedrooms and shared bathroom at the rear and a communal living space in the centre. For the home to have a cohesive feel, it was essential to meld new and old. Fortunately, the decorative plaster ceilings and bay windows were retained in the newly designated boys’ bedrooms, while the couple added character details, such as intricate cornicing and Art Deco-style ceiling roses, to the…

WITH ITS 360-DEGREE views and unique T-shaped design, this Queensland home offers an elegant take on the classic Australian homestead. Owners Annabelle and Rob originally lived nearby and bought the land with a view to renovating the existing farm cottage that was located on the site. However, as time went on, they realised a new building on top of the hill would be a better option. They set about finding the best people to help them achieve their vision. “My favourite saying in business is to surround yourself with good people… as local businesspeople, we wanted to use a local builder and were lucky to find Gavin from Antonio Building who was able to build the home we wanted,” says Rob. They also engaged local designer Angela Smith of Angela…

IT’S SAFE TO SAY that Dominee and Ben have been bitten by the new home-building bug. This Gold Coast home is the ninth that the couple have built for themselves and their daughters, Macey and Willow. And thanks to the generously sized, elevated block on which it sits, they were able to incorporate all the design elements and materials they’ve always wanted. The family lived in a small guest house while the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home was built, with interior designer Dominee using the temporary space as a tester for new ideas and finishes she was keen to try. Curves are a recurring theme, used in arched doorways and windows, the brass balustrade that borders the upper hallway, various statement furniture pieces and in the kitchen’s striking half-moon island. And tactile…

WITH MORE TIERS than a wedding cake, this elevated five-storey home celebrates a spectacular water view dotted with boats and lush bushland surrounds. But owners Angela and Angus weren’t entirely happy with the home’s inefficient layout or the drab decor, so they brought in interior designer Jodie Carter to right the home’s wrongs. Take the laundry, which was originally located on the fourth level – a long way up if you needed to hang out some washing downstairs or quickly wash some sheets from the bedrooms. “Angela wanted to have easy access to wash and store kitchen linen, clothes and pool towels, as well as essential storage,” says Jodie, who relocated the laundry to the second floor where a powder room once stood. The space now doubles as a mud…

CALM, LIGHT AND CLUTTER-FREE – the laundry space within this new build in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs takes it cues from the rest of the home, which features tactile materials to reflect the coastal surrounds, a calming, neutral colour scheme and copious amounts of natural light for a constant connection to the outdoors. Colour consultant Kate Ward, who lives here with her husband Rob and their three children, worked with architects Smyth & Smyth and interior design firm Studio Nino to achieve her desired uncomplicated look. “Narrow your ultimate goal down to a few key words, such as ‘harmonious’, ‘understated’ or ‘timeless’. These anchoring words will help remind you of what you want to achieve,” Kate shares. Situated on the ground floor and opening out to a sunny courtyard, the laundry…

AN EMPTY SITE in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs with sweeping ocean views was too hard to resist for colour consultant Kate Ward and her husband Rob, who live here with their three children. “With park and ocean views, it would be the perfect blank canvas for our family home,” says Kate. “We welcomed the challenge of designing from scratch.” To achieve the best result, Kate collaborated with architecture and interior design practice Smyth & Smyth along with interior design firm Studio Nino. “We wanted a forever home that was comfortable, practical and perfect for entertaining, with lots of light and space, and a seamless connection with the garden, while maintaining the view,” she says. The resulting plan from Smyth & Smyth placed the living areas on the upper of the three…

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING and everything in its place. That could be the mantra for this storage-filled family home – and its kitchen – in Melbourne’s South West. And, thanks to interior designer Sarah McPhee of Sarah McPhee Interiors, the results would make Marie Kondo proud. The Californian bungalow was home to hoarders before the current owners and their three children purchased it in late 2020. “We loved the location, so close to the water, and the untouched 1920s facade, with all the character of a heritage home,” says the owner. But with the entire interior needing to be gutted, the couple – a pair of seasoned renovators – wanted to do it properly. The brief? “We wanted a warm and inviting family home for ourselves and to entertain in,…

DESIGNER AND INTERIOR STYLIST Dominee and her builder husband Ben had no intentions of moving until a knock on their Gold Coast door asking if they’d consider selling convinced them otherwise. Serendipitously, a block in the same street but set at a higher elevation – delivering spectacular 180-degree views of the coast – became available, and the decision was made. “It’s quite rare to get this type of view here,” explains Dominee. “I had nothing in my head design-wise yet, but we hit the ground running and pulled it together.” The couple speedily constructed a small guest house on the block to live in with their two daughters, Macey and Willow, while they planned and built their new place. “Because of the block, we had the opportunity to execute all…

FOR BRISBANE COUPLE Lorena and Sergio, both engineers who hail from Argentina, the only way to go was up after buying a character home at auction four years ago. “We needed more space for our teenage sons, who love to have friends over, and for Sergio and me, who work from home a few days a week,” says Lorena. The clever solution, devised by Baastudio Architecture and executed by Saunders Building Company, was to raise the house 9.5 metres and build an entire new level below it. The lower floor now features a spacious home office, gorgeous kitchen and living and dining areas that flow onto a generous alfresco area and pool. Upstairs, the home’s original layout has been reconfigured and extended to accommodate a tranquil main bedroom and ensuite…

WHEN COLOUR CONSULTANT Kate Ward and her husband Rob purchased a vacant block of land in a picturesque setting – hello, ocean views! – they saw it as a great opportunity to build a home that would make a statement while sitting comfortably within its environment. They invited architecture and interior design practice Smyth & Smyth and interior designer Lani McKinnon from Studio Nino to join them in their journeyto create a hardworking home for themselves and their three children. “We wanted calm, light and uncluttered interiors with understated elegance, a practical and robust home that could withstand a busy family, but still feel fresh after years of use,” says Kate. Material selections had a strong Scandinavian skew – pale oak, cool concrete, tactile tiles – all in an earthy…

THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST renovation rodeo for married couple and business partners Janette and Alex Stritt. Together, they own a building and design studio on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and over the years they have redesigned numerous properties for their clients and their own family, which includes two teenaged children, Allegra and Sebastian. For this knockdown rebuild on a sprawling 1330-square-metre block, they drew on the picturesque surroundings to create the free-flowing layout and coastal interiors. “Living by the beach, we are fortunate to be surrounded by the blues of the sea and greens from the coastal shrubs and grasses,” says Janette, who brought this palette into the bedrooms and bathrooms. Their master ensuite benefits from classic Hamptons-style features, such as the Shaker-profile vanity in a soothing powder blue, marble…

IT’S NO EASY TASK maintaining the peace and order in a home full of teenagers. But in the redesign of this 1920s-era home in Melbourne’s South West, the owners were intent on creating a space where guests were always welcome and everyone could live in harmony. They asked interior designer Sarah McPhee of Sarah McPhee Interiors to help them achieve this goal, and she guided them to a palette of classically Hamptons-esque materials and fixtures that would be used on repeat throughout the home to achieve the perfect sense of cohesion. Storage was also a game-changer, with no opportunity missed. Shelves, wardrobes, drawers and nifty cavities under window seats are used throughout – and the galley-style laundry is its own triumph. Lockers, broom cupboards, pull-out hampers, shoe storage and folding…

THERE’S NOTHING HELENA LOVES MORE than being at home with her husband Oliver and their children Harry and Elsa. Built in March 2021, her Sydney home has everything the family needs, situated a few minutes’ drive from the beach with tall ceilings and an airy, tranquil atmosphere befitting of the sheer serendipity that led to its creation. “There was a house I used to drive past that I just loved,” explains Helena. “When we bought this property, we were looking for a builder and, completely by chance, I saw an image of the same home I liked on social media. Stritt Design and Construction were credited so I got in touch.” With the help of Janette and Alex from Stritt, they designed their ideal abode of five bedrooms, three bathrooms,…

JANETTE AND ALEX STRITT have designed their fair share of laundries over the course of their marriage and careers. The pair own design and building firm Stritt Design, and have brought their expertise to a number of client projects as well as renovations for themselves and their two teenaged children, the latest being the knockdown rebuild of this Hamptons-inspired home in Sydney. “With every house we design and build, we get a feel for what we really enjoy in our homes and what works for us,” says Janette. For Alex, a sunny aspect and high ceilings were essential. “They add scale, light and airiness to a space and are perfectly suited to coastal homes,” he says. Janette craved ample storage space, plus a butler’s pantry and generous walk-in robe. “I…