It’s our favourite time of the year: summer holidays, where the days are (hopefully) filled with sunshine, time spent at the beach and, of course, swimming.
These eight coastal homes are exactly where we want to be! Take a look below.
Strong connections to the outdoors encourage time spent together in the garden and around the pool. Photo – Tasha Tylee. Editorial Styling – Tatjana Melchiorre.
Rice Paper Shade Large pendant by HAY. Dining table by Mark Tuckey. Mastro Chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa from Castorina. Sofa by Moroso with Diesel. Candle holders by Fabien Cappello. Photo – Tasha Tylee. Editorial Styling – Tatjana Melchiorre.
The exterior features iron ash timber cladding and white-painted laminated veneer lumber (LVL) rafters, complemented by a weatherboard fascia for a covered eave. Photo – Tasha Tylee. Editorial Styling – Tatjana Melchiorre.
Rice Paper Shade Large pendant by HAY. Dining table by Mark Tuckey. Mastro Chairs by Afra and Tobia Scarpa from Castorina. Candle holders by Fabien Cappello. Photo – Tasha Tylee. Editorial Styling – Tatjana Melchiorre.
Located on a previously vacant site in Mount Martha, this new family home references the local vernacular with its timber cladding and exposed rafters, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens by Victoria Merrett Architects.
An L-shaped, single-storey floor plan optimises passive solar performance, ensuring a home that functions as well as it looks.
The timber island/table is the heart of the home, and the best place to sit and watch the view, ocean, weather, and wildlife. Photo – Jack Lovel.
The internal palette is made up of cost-efficient fibre cement sheet, plasterboard, and laminate joinery with some feature timber pieces. Photo – Jack Lovel.
Where the design breaks away from the area’s original shacks is through extensive use of glazing on the front facade to frame ocean views. Photo – Jack Lovel.
Fireplace from Oblica. Photo – Jack Lovel.
Architect Matt Ross Goodman was working pro bono in Separation Creek following the 2015 bushfires when he discovered the ideal block of vacant land for a holiday house.
Drawing on the lessons he’d learned working in the Great Ocean Road town, he navigated the sloping block to design the most cost-efficient home possible.
Six years of research, design, and construction later, Matt and his family are living the dream!
Escape Velour carpet in Esther by Supertuft. Chairs designed by Grant Featherston. Nesting tables by Kartell. Stool by Karoma. Photo – Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks
Hayley and Mick Barrett with two of their daughters Abby and Polly (both 14) in their St Andrews Beach home. Photo – Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks
The pool is tiled with black mosaic tiles. Photo – Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks
Overhead cabinetry is a nod to original mid-century kitchens. Photo – Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks
Between St Andrews Golf Course and Beach lies a small cluster of houses lucky to call this special part of the Mornington Peninsula home.
Kollab directors Hayley and Mick Barrett and their three children lived here for 15 years, before demolishing their previous home and building their dream home on the same site, designed by Pleysier Perkins.
The new house combines references to the original timber home and mid-century modernism, to form a breathtaking escape that captures its remarkable Mornington Peninsula locale.
Hayley and Mick invited us in for a tour!
Ceramic wall sconce by front door by Lockerroom. Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks.
Ingo Maurer Floatation Suspension Lamp from Space Furniture. Artwork by Bryan Westwood, passed down by Belle’s grandmother. Banquette cushions made by Belle’s mum using Redelman Fabrics. Dining chairs designed by Børge Mogensen, sourced at auction. Recycled timber dining table, sourced from Facebook Marketplace. Ceramic sun wall hanging by Nadia Robertson. Carimate chair designed by Vico Magistretti, sourced from Tigmi. Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks.
Ingo Maurer Floatation Suspension Lamp from Space Furniture. Artwork by Bryan Westwood, passed down by Belle’s grandmother. Banquette cushions made by Belle’s mum using Redelman Fabrics. Dining chairs designed by Børge Mogensen, sourced at auction. Recycled timber dining table, sourced from Facebook Marketplace. Ceramic sun wall hanging by Nadia Robertson. Armchair by Larkwood Furniture. Cushion by Pony Rider. Carimate chair designed by Vico Magistretti, sourced from Tigmi. Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks.
Custom oak coffee table, made in collaboration with Inch Objects. Prototype Jardan Leeroy Sofa (purchased by Belle when working in their Paddington showroom). 5331 Armchair designed by Rud Thygesen & Johnny Sorensen for Magnus Olesen, sourced from Composition Store. Vintage Jan Wickelgren pendant light, sourced from Etsy. Raku Vessel by Simone Karras from Jardan. Selva Rug by Pampa. Artwork by Jordy van den Nieuwendijk. Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks.
Ava Bedcover by L&M Home. Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Sarah Hendriks.
Interior stylist Belle Fearon and Jake Weston moved from Paddington to Avalon Beach for a slower pace of life, including daily beach visits. They searched for an original weatherboard cottage retaining its ‘beach shack’ essence, and found it in this sun-filled home.
Since then, it’s been summer holidays year-round for the couple and their regular guests. They’ve made only small DIY updates to the property so far, adding character to the relaxed interiors through lighting and eclectic styling.
A timber bridge leads to the entrance. Photo – Tim Clark.
Spring Beach House by Scale Architecture. Photo – Tim Clark.
Located on a rugged bush site on the East Coast of Tasmania, Spring Beach House by Scale Architecture is a modest, timber-clad holiday home that’s simple living at its best.
From the way the building recedes into the natural landscape, to the honey-coloured kitchen joinery, and the wide view over the coast, everything about this retreat feels perfectly aligned in its place.
Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
Photo – Milly Mead. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
Artist Jai Vasicek and filmmaker Matt Sharp spent several fast-paced years globetrotting before COVID forced them to put down roots. The couple needed a new outlet for their creative energy, so they purchased a weatherboard house near Byron Bay, ripe for renovation.
What followed was a major four-year build and numerous setbacks, to finally arrive at the Ibiza-inspired house you see today.
With just one bedroom (down from five), it’s an unorthodox home that’s expansive, ‘barefoot’ and perfectly suited to Jai and Matt’s life and work.
All stone surfaces by Eco Outdoor. Armchairs by Anibou. Sofa by Jardan. Photo –Tasha Tylee.
The minimal interiors shine a spotlight on the beautiful location. Photo –Tasha Tylee.
The facade’s architecture nods to the nostalgic fibro beach shacks dotted around the coastal town. Photo –Tasha Tylee.
Anglesea House was designed by Eckersley Architects as a multigenerational coastal home. Photo –Tasha Tylee.
The Great Ocean Road is home to some of Victoria’s most picturesque coastal landscapes, and this new holiday home in Anglesea captures the region’s beauty in the best way.
Eckersley Architects director Tom Eckersley designed the serene house for his parents — and their extended family — to blend seamlessly into its natural surroundings, framing vast ocean views at every turn.
Custom sofa by Keep Studio with blue cushions from Pop & Scott. Pendant by Coco Flip. Ceramics on kitchen corner shelving by Astrid Salomon of Bastard Ceramics and Rara Studio. Photo – Alexander William.
Unframed landscape painting by Sue Robertson. Mixed media framed artworks by Kerry Williams. Striped blue and cream stoneware vase by Tim Davey. Photo – Alexander William.
Mixed media framed artworks by Kerry Williams. Striped blue and cream stoneware vase by Tim Davey. Photo – Alexander William.
Photo – Alexander William.
William Davey, co-founding director and designer at Keep Studio, created his Lorne home with two key factors in mind: his family’s present and future needs; and a fixed $450,000 construction budget to be managed by his dad, Tim Davey, a retired commercial builder.
The father and son duo worked together to design and build almost every element of the home, inspired by the work of modernist architects like Robin Boyd, Craig Ellwood and Richard Neutra. The resulting ‘treehouse’ prioritises the same honest expression of structure and materiality, and connections to nature.
