This family home was initially purchased as a ‘not at all charming’ 80s home, explains Simon Addinall, Director of Those Architects. The dwelling consisted of mid-brown bricks, a tiled roof, tiled floor, and cheap aluminium windows…but Simon highlights was ‘well built, with double bricked walls and an on-ground slab.’ The architects were engaged to updated the tired home, to better suit the owners and their clan of young kids, and to modernise the uninspiring design. 

Simon describes the design intent as to ‘reinvent’ the 1980s, with the aesthetic of a ‘subtropical suburban bungalow morphed with a Modernist sensibility.’ The renovations do not attempt to erase the original identity of the home, but rather provide a new lease on life for the dwelling that responds to the local climate and client needs.  

The architects’ aim was to create a beachside family home where ‘the outside was as important as the inside’. The building has been stretched out along its East/West axis, and windows have been strategically inserted to capture and frame views. The deep reveals provide sun and weather protection, and encourage sea breeze to flow throughout the home.

The beach-loving family took a little convincing that ‘its ok to have walls’, rather than conform to the typical beachside vernacular of opening up a home completely. Simon highlights how an abundance of glass ‘acts against the climate for the most part of the year’, and that selective use of windows ‘just makes the openings you have more powerful.’

The renovations also include the introduction of a new two-storey addition, that peeks over the existing roof-like, with almost ship-like rising corners. This new living, dining and kitchen space opens out into a north facing courtyard and pool – strategically protected from the fierce afternoon sun.

Robust materials were selected here, to weather the bumps of family life, and the harsh coastal climate. The limestone paving pays homage to the sandy beaches nearby, while soft neutral tones, linen curtains and timber joinery create an effortlessly light and fresh interior. The breeze runs right through this home, connecting the outside and insight in one fresh summer whisper!