Australian_House_&_Garden_2017_01

H G houses

106 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN

< Stepping inside the front door,

there’s a mesmerising line of sight

through a double-storey void: down

the hall, through a courtyard with

feature pond and then the open living

zone, which opens up to an enticing

rear courtyard. Three guestrooms, a

study and a bathroom are situated off

the hall. Upstairs, the main bedroom

suite opens to an inside-out sunroom

under a dramatic pitched roof; at the

other end, a generous indoor-outdoor

room runs off the spacious living/

kitchen/dining area.

It’s a layout that offers entertainment

options galore. When guests are in the

house, the main bedroom can be closed

off so everyone can access the sunroom

via the upstairs hall, relaxing at the bar

bench while taking in the ocean views.

Realising the contents of their Sydney

Federation house would not work well

in a modern beach home, Kerrie and Rob

handed over the decor to interior designer

Louise Walsh. Starting with a near-blank

slate, Louise sourced furniture and

artworks, finetuned finishes, consulted

on colours and “pushed our boundaries”,

Rob and Kerrie happily admit.

“The brief was coastal contemporary,”

says Louise. “We created an earthy base

palettebuilt on this with punches of

colour and organic textures. Finishes

such as distressed oak, shell and stone

echo the natural environment.”

Her scheme puts in place the final

piece of the owners’ strategic design,

more than a decade in the making

and, given the results, well worth the

wait. “We wanted it to be elegant and

timeless,” says Kerrie. “What we got was

incredibly beautiful. We couldn’t have

asked for more.” >

EJE Architecture, Newcastle, NSW;

(02) 4929 2353 or http://www.eje.com.au.

Louise Walsh Interior Design, Lennox

Head, NSW; http://www.louisewalsh.

com.au. Malman Constructions,

Broadmeadow, NSW; (02) 4940 0800

or malmanconstructions.com.au.

Murobond Paint

Tumbleweed

hallway

THE PALETTE

Dulux

Malay Grey

main bedroom

Taubmans

Thundercloud

living-room niche

Paint colours are reproduced as accurately as printing processes allow.