Innholdsfortegnelse for 2603 i Home Beautiful Specials

THE DECISION TO RENOVATE OR REBUILD can be a highly complex and deeply personal one. For many homeowners, the original architectural charms might be what draws them to buy their home in the first place, and renovating allows them to retain and refine all of that character. In other cases, a home’s list of negatives might outweigh any positives, and it’s almost easier to demolish the lot and start from scratch. Renovating is a (sometimes) quicker and more economical option, where structural changes are limited and cosmetic improvements prevail, while building allows you to design the home to your unique specifications, but can take longer and comes with a considerable list of choices to make. The inspired renovations and beautiful builds in this special issue delve into the thought processes…

JUST LIKE CHOOSING holiday accommodation, it was the water views, sense of seclusion and luxury of space that inspired Kristy and Trent to snap up a home in a coveted Noosa estate to enjoy with their daughters Chloe and Willow. For designer Kristy, the 20-year-old home offered incredible scope to reimagine inside and out. “Initially, I thought the renovation would only involve surface and material updates, but we discovered elements that needed repair and I decided to overhaul the layout to better suit our needs,” explains Kristy. The transformation involved altering layouts, rezoning spaces, overhauling finishes throughout, new bathroom fitouts and the introduction of curves and textural elements wherever possible. Rather than the Hamptons look that Kristy had embraced for previous homes, this time she was keen to channel a…

HAVING FACED THE CHALLENGES and expense of an extensive renovation with their previous property, Georgie and Ben were in no hurry to repeat the experience for their next home. “We’d learnt that a small renovation can quickly become a major project,” says Georgie. “Hence, when we toyed with renovating this house, we decided a knockdown rebuild would lead to fewer surprises along the way.” They lived in the original house for a couple of years and had clear ideas of what they wanted from the new build. “The aim was to create a house with our three daughters in mind,” says Georgie, “plus Hamptons style, white weatherboards and with a modern edge.” Alex and Janette Stritt of Stritt Design & Construction devised a plan for a two-storey, five-bedroom family home…

AN “UGLY, ’80S, DARK AND DINGY BRICK HOUSE” was not high on Nicola’s wish list when she and her husband Nick were looking for a home to buy in Brisbane. But at Nick’s insistence, she went along to the open inspection and was instantly enamoured with the property’s views over the Brisbane River. The house itself left a lot to be desired. “There were tiny rooms everywhere and it was a rabbit warren. I didn’t think there was anything to salvage and in short it was just easier to start again,” says Nicola. The couple lived in the home with their three children for five years before embarking on a knockdown rebuild, which they project managed themselves in collaboration with Creative Space Custom Joinery. “As the kids were getting older,…

KEEN TO DOWNSIZE, Justine and Andrew sold their family home with a lengthy settlement of six months to allow plenty of time to find the next place. With just seven weeks left before this period was up, Justine spied a four-bedroom home for sale 600 metres away in a beachside suburb of southern Sydney. The location held special significance for Justine and Andrew, who had previously owned a home on the same street when their two daughters were little. “We both saw the potential in it immediately,” recalls Justine. As soon as the place was theirs, they assembled the best team to help hone their vision for a modern Mediterranean-style home: Lowi Interiors took care of the spatial planning, Studio Haus Co oversaw the material selections and styling, and Pro…

TIMING WAS EVERYTHING when Casey and Andre discovered this three-storey townhouse in Sydney’s eastern suburbs not long before the birth of their second child. The house had all the ingredients to become a forever home, but first they had to fix the dated decor and poor layout of small, dark rooms. Being a townhouse in a larger complex, rebuilding wasn’t an option. “Renovating allowed us to remain in harmony with the surrounding homes and respect the heritage of the area while modernising it for family life,” says Casey. The couple worked closely with Pamment Projects to ensure their plans adhered to the appropriate strata by-laws and council requirements before engaging interior designer Stephanie Chu to elevate the interiors. In liaison with RODA Architects, Stephanie recommended some key structural changes, including…

WHEN ANNALISE AND SCOTT bought their Brisbane home 15 years ago, they had one young child and a baby on the way, and the place felt more than big enough. However, as their family grew to four children, the couple weighed up buying a bigger place elsewhere. “We looked around for a year, but couldn’t find a house with six bedrooms and a large entertaining area, which were our key requirements, so we decided to renovate and create what we wanted,” says Annalise. The family were in good hands with Dean Maguire from Invilla Architecture, who coordinated the development application, structural engineers and tender process to help them select a builder. “We gave Invilla pretty much free rein to do what they wanted with the initial design, and the plan…

KIRSTEN AND GREG WERE ENCHANTED when they first saw this house in 2012. But while the heritage-listed property in south-east Melbourne was structurally sound, the peach and blue colour scheme from the 1980s dated the home. In 2019, the couple reached out to Nicola Dovey of Drawing Room Architecture, focused on giving every aspect of the home’s renewal careful consideration. “It’s so important to do your research with a mid-century house,” says Kirsten. “We were speaking to Nicola for a long time before we progressed – about three years from the initial contact until we commissioned the designs.” Kirsten and Greg’s wishlist was well-defined from the outset: “A more thoughtful use of space, better ‘flow’, warmth, a bit of colour, hardwearing materials, lots of storage, more bench space – we…