Homes

Top Ten Australian Homes of 2015 · Jesse Bennett and Anne-Marie Campagnolo

There was one particular home that we featured in 2015 that had everyone, well, gobsmacked.  Without a doubt, our most popular ‘Australian Home’ of 2015 was  the incredible home of young architect Jesse Bennett and his interior designer wife, Anne-Marie Campagnolo in Cairns.

Jesse and Anne-Marie’s home was built from scratch on a sloping site by this industrious couple and a handful of contractors. The results speak for themselves – EPIC!

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
Supported by Dulux

The incredible home of  Jesse Bennett and Anne-Marie Campagnolo. The gabion rock retaining wall took Jesse over one month to build, each rock placed by hand in the tropical heat! Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Dining nook. Jesse’s favourite place in the house, he designed and built the booth, the light is Verner Panton. Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Jesse Bennett and Anne-Marie Campagnolo at home. Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Open space living featuring Kai Kristiansen chairs from Angelucci, chandelier by Jonathan Adler, Dining table and kitchen island benches designed/built by Jesse, and rug designed by Anne-Marie through The Bespoke Rug Company. Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Looking from the courtyard through the house, this photo illustrates Jesse’s vision of embracing the landscape. Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Living room details. The pink curved couch was designed by Anne-Marie, and the coffee table designed and built by Jesse. The plant stands are from Lightly. Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
5th of January 2016

This incredible new home nestled amongst tropical treetops in Cairns belongs to architect and builder Jesse Bennett, and his wife, interior designer Anne-Marie Campagnolo. Jesse and Anne-Marie run their own small design studio in Cairns, offering both architectural and interior design services, as well as selling their own range of handcrafted timber fixtures. The design and build of their own home was the ultimate all-consuming creative collaboration for this talented duo.

Their home was built from scratch on a sloping site, which presented significant challenges during the build. Both Jesse and Anne-Marie were closely involved in much of the construction process, employing sub-contractors where necessary.

The couple officially moved in to their home at the beginning of 2015, but throughout the build they camped onsite the property for many months! They say the best thing about living here is how the house integrates with the surrounding landscape, and embraces the tropical climate. ‘It makes us feel both inspired and thankful everyday,’ says Jesse.

For the full story and many more photos of this tropical residential paradise, do pop back and revisit the original post!

Bookcase with operable door, designed and built by Jesse. Artwork is a Christian Chaize print from 20×200. Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Recent Homes