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Five years ago Josh and Jenna Densten drove past a humble beach shack just out of Apollo Bay and dreamt of having a little coastal property of their own. After putting the dream on hold for a few years to focus on their North Melbourne renovations (which recently won best residential interior in the Australian Interior Design Awards!), they began quietly searching again for a place where they could enjoy some serious family hang time, with their two dogs and young daughter Freddie, away from the city.
A week after being shown a property that was not ‘the one’, Josh and Jenna’s local real estate agent called to let them know she’d found something she thought they would LOVE. Yep, it was the same house the couple had driven by five years ago. And they all lived happily ever after!
Relaxed and humble with ocean views, Josh and Jenna’s two-bedroom shack looks like the kind of place you could imagine running up to from the beach with sandy feet when Mum yells out, ‘it’s time for lunch!’. Despite the fact that it’s LITERALLY across the road from the beach, the real reason Josh and Jenna fell in love with it was the facade. ‘It’s a cute original shack, full of charm and character’, Josh says, and this reflects the kind of environment the couple wanted to create.
The furnishings are all vintage, adding to that ‘lived-in’ feeling, where comfort is key and every piece of furniture is to be loved and hung out on. The couple has been keen to retain a ‘lo-fi’ vibe, creating a space that feels overwhelmingly nostalgic and brings back memories of childhood holidays. ‘We didn’t want the stress of a shiny new home where we worried about wear and tear’, explains Josh, ‘we wanted to create a space that was humble, low maintenance and cosy.’
In fact, the couple are so committed to this laid-back feeling that they’ve done away with their ‘good intentions’ for renovations! ‘We’re scared now that if we do anything to it, it will lose the feeling it has now,’ admits Josh, ‘once we moved in and found the perfect vintage pieces, it felt like home!’.
Dreaming of a weekend at The Shack? Josh and Jenna’s perfect beach shack is available to rent on Air BnB!
