Houzz Tour: Modern Australian Beach House Looks to the Future
A striking design linked to nature is the perfect solution for a couple who plan to make their vacation home permanent
When your main residence is a clapboard-covered house that dates to the early 1900s and your vacation home is a brown brick eyesore from the ’70s, it’s easy to imagine going for something sleek and modern if given the chance to rebuild. That’s exactly what these Australian homeowners did when they decided to tear down the vacation home, which had been in the family for 30 years, and build a new one that could accommodate not only their needs now and in the future, but also those of their visiting children and grandchildren. The house, several hours north of Sydney, will become the couple’s permanent home as they transition into retirement in the years to come.
“The new, modern house serves as a fresh departure for the couple and offers a stylish but more relaxed way of living,” architect Ned Power of Ned Architecture & Design says.
“The new, modern house serves as a fresh departure for the couple and offers a stylish but more relaxed way of living,” architect Ned Power of Ned Architecture & Design says.
“The clients wanted a [custom], striking contemporary house that reflected their desire for a stylish but relaxed way of living,” Power says. “Their new home strikes a bold statement with its robust geometric form in a small beachside community.”
The couple wanted the home to make them feel immersed in nature, with a sense of protection and seclusion but without isolation. The absence of a front fence invites passers-by to look in.
The design is based on two intersecting and overlapping rectangles that make the most of the odd-shaped lot.
The couple wanted the home to make them feel immersed in nature, with a sense of protection and seclusion but without isolation. The absence of a front fence invites passers-by to look in.
The design is based on two intersecting and overlapping rectangles that make the most of the odd-shaped lot.
The home is only about 800 feet from the beach and is subject to strong winds. The exterior materials were chosen not only for their aesthetics, but for longevity, durability and affordability. They also needed to be low-maintenance. “The majority of the external materials display an honest and functional aesthetic,” Power says.
Concrete block and cement board feature prominently, while small areas of aluminum composite panel add a touch of glamour. Standing-seam metal siding adds further interest to the facade.
Aluminum composite panels: Alucobond; metal siding: Colorbond
Concrete block and cement board feature prominently, while small areas of aluminum composite panel add a touch of glamour. Standing-seam metal siding adds further interest to the facade.
Aluminum composite panels: Alucobond; metal siding: Colorbond
The two intersecting and overlapping rectangles that form the home are aligned along opposing sides of the triangular, sloping lot. “This allowed for the introduction of an angular dynamic that has been repeated throughout the building,” Power says.
The main entrance is on the ground floor, which also houses two guest bedrooms, a music room and the garage.
The main entrance is on the ground floor, which also houses two guest bedrooms, a music room and the garage.
The open entry serves as a gathering spot for guests who attend house concerts in the adjoining music room, and it’s the point where the rectangles of the home intersect.
“At the top of the stairs, the kitchen forms the pivot point and is both physically and symbolically the heart of the house,” Power says.
“At the top of the stairs, the kitchen forms the pivot point and is both physically and symbolically the heart of the house,” Power says.
One of the clients is a professional musician (as is one of the couple’s children), so the music room needed to be large enough to accommodate up to 100 guests for performances, which sometimes include local and international artists hosted by the couple.
Custom aggregate polished- concrete flooring is a practical choice for the contemporary space, which is also used by the couple’s children and grandchildren when they visit.
Custom aggregate polished- concrete flooring is a practical choice for the contemporary space, which is also used by the couple’s children and grandchildren when they visit.
Much of the artwork in the home comes from the clients’ extensive collection of predominantly Aboriginal Martumili art. Carvings and fabric from trips to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are also on display.
Browse artwork for your home
Browse artwork for your home
The music room opens to the outdoors via large sliding glass doors. Power worked with landscape designer Claudia Neville of Garden Expressions to ensure that the house and yard were cohesive.
“It was vital for the landscape and the architecture to appear as one integral response, allowing the building to find harmony in its context and to immerse its occupants into the natural environment,” Power says.
Find a landscape professional
“It was vital for the landscape and the architecture to appear as one integral response, allowing the building to find harmony in its context and to immerse its occupants into the natural environment,” Power says.
Find a landscape professional
The guest bedrooms also open to the outside. Each has its own bathroom and built-in storage.
When they’re without visitors, the couple stay primarily on the second floor.
Up here, the open-plan kitchen, living and dining area is light-filled and spacious. The flooring is spotted gum, a type of eucalyptus, and creates a sense of flow throughout the entire level.
See more wood flooring
See more wood flooring
A glass wall folds away to connect the living area to the deck, positioned to take advantage of the views, which sometimes include migrating whales. “They wanted to feel as if they were surrounded by nature and to be able to take advantage of the warm and temperate climate,” Power says.
A retractable screen keeps insects at bay when necessary, and an overhead heater lets the couple entertain outside year-round.
Caravaggio pendants: Cult
A retractable screen keeps insects at bay when necessary, and an overhead heater lets the couple entertain outside year-round.
Caravaggio pendants: Cult
“The two-level plan elevates the living areas of the house to best capture ocean views and prevailing northeasterly sea breezes in summer, while minimizing the footprint of the house to retain space for the garden,” Power says.
The deep, semi-covered deck also offers protection from the cold southerly and westerly winter winds and provides areas of both sun and shade.
The deep, semi-covered deck also offers protection from the cold southerly and westerly winter winds and provides areas of both sun and shade.
Carefully positioned windows create privacy from neighboring properties.
The house needed to accommodate large family gatherings, so the kitchen was designed with communal and social meal preparation in mind.
The couple’s artwork and selected pieces of family furniture mix harmoniously with the decidedly modern structure, contributing elements of warmth.
The kitchen features Caesarstone counters, Miele and Neff appliances and Blum soft-close doors with a polyurethane paint finish. Areas of spotted gum woodwork tie in with the flooring.
The nearly 16-foot-long island is the perfect spot to lay out hors d’oeuvres and drinks for guests gathered in the living room and on the deck after a concert.
Motorized louver windows allow for cross-ventilation, one of the many environmental considerations incorporated into the home. The house also has a 2,600-gallon rainwater tank that’s connected to the landscaping and sewage systems.
How to Harvest Rainwater for Your Garden
Motorized louver windows allow for cross-ventilation, one of the many environmental considerations incorporated into the home. The house also has a 2,600-gallon rainwater tank that’s connected to the landscaping and sewage systems.
How to Harvest Rainwater for Your Garden
The pendant light in the dining area is a Christopher Boots creation, originally commissioned for a fashion event.
The light-filled master bedroom, also on the second floor, connects to the ocean-facing deck that adjoins the living area. The master bath features a spacious dressing room.
The faucets, sinks and toilets in all three of the home’s bathrooms and powder room are from Rogerseller.
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Who lives here: A couple and their children and grandchildren when they visit
Location: Emerald Beach, North Coast region of New South Wales state, Australia
Size: 3,068 square feet (285 square meters); three bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designers: Ned Architecture & Design and Garden Expressions
The couple’s main home is in Armidale, about a three-hour drive to the west from the vacation home, which is near Coffs Harbour in Australia’s North Coast region. The getaway residence had served the family well over the years, but the time had come to knock it down to make way for one where the couple could live in retirement when they were ready.