Hamptons style house: An amazing before & after in Queensland

Located on the Sunshine Coast hinterland, this original Queenslander was built in 1940 and while it’s been renovated over the years its latest makeover is arguably its grandest, with its strong Hamptons style and bold use of texture and colour. 

Overhauled by Claire Lawrence-Smart, of Plantation Collective Homes, the home’s nineties renovation was recently revamped with a budget of around $300,000. “I wanted to bring back character to the home and a breath of fresh air through colour. I also wanted to embrace the original character and redesign the expansive verandahs for a timeless effect,” says Claire who lives in the home with her husband and three children.

While the home had already been extended, a lot of the the elements added by the previous owner didn’t suit the original part of the home. From the stairs to the exterior balustrade and barn doors, cross details were added as well as VJ panels to match the existing features of the original Queenslander.

Other standout design features include new flooring in the entrance (with herringbone and marble inlay) as well as wallpapers, grass cloth, shaker style joinery and vibrant blue paint. “It’s a large house and I wanted to make it feel homely with textures, wallpapers, paint and panelling. And the home’s three-metre-high ceilings were ideal for a darker paint colour,” says Claire.

“My favourite part of the home is the kitchen, which was a labour of love as I hand painted all the cabinets myself,” says Claire of the bold blue cupboard fronts. That DIY element was necessary to offset the cost of the nearby stone benchtops. “The benchtops were the biggest splurge because the kitchen is huge – the island alone is nearly four metres long,” says Claire.

With its enduring appeal in Australia, the Hamptons style is showing no signs of going anywhere fast – something that Claire attributes to its versatility and timelessness. “It’s a classic style and can be interpreted in many different ways – there’s Coastal Hamptons or American Hamptons and the style lends itself well to the classic Queenslander too.”

If you’re in the market, this home is currently for sale.

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