House tour: This luxe coastal retreat avoids seaside clichés

While it’s important to consider a home within its context, it’s easy to churn out the same old design tropes – particularly when it comes to a beachside abode. Located in the southern Perth suburb of Mandurah, this beachside home combines a light, airy, coastal feel with sumptuous luxury to an original end. “The owners wanted an intimate and ambient high-end, luxe coastal feel but were adamant that they didn’t want a typical coastal design,” says the project’s interior designer Kristie Hill of Colourcube Interiors.

Home to a middle-aged Scottish couple, the home also accommodates the owner’s grandchildren and numerous guests. “The owners are Scottish and have a lot of overseas visitors stay for lengthy periods of time, so they wanted their own space, and space for their visitors so they weren’t living on top of each other,” says Kristie.

Designed to take in the beautiful ocean view, the main living spaces are upstairs. “Upstairs is their living area, kitchen, integrated dining, family, master bedroom and ensuite and powder room,” says Kristie.

The ground floor is comprised of the guest living, rumpus room, three guest bedrooms and a back yard complete with pool. “The finishes they wanted were to be minimal, easy maintenance, no fuss and easy on the eye.”

And while the original design brief stipulated a focus on neutral colours, this soon changed once the couple moved into the home. “They initially didn’t want to introduce too much colour, but once the home was completed and we were considering furniture selections, it was apparent that we need to add character and warmth to the home through colour,” says Kristie.

A design highlight, the master bedroom feature wall has shades of mid-century design and makes quite the statement. “The cladding in the master bedroom is an absolute stand out,” says Kristie of the wall that is covered in Merbau timber – a material that features throughout the rest of the home.

The home’s kitchen is a treat too, with the whole design focussed around easy indoor/outdoor living designed to maximise the view. “You walk up the stairs and right there in front of you is this massive kitchen, and a walk-in pantry and scullery. The clients knew the importance of a high-end functional kitchen in such a large house and didn’t hold back when it came to selecting finishes,” says Kristie of the space that features an integrated dining table, a space-saving measure.

“Initially the kitchen was designed the opposite way, but the island and other benchtops were too small for the home. So, we came up with the idea of integrating the dining table to allow the kitchen much more space, and to flow more effectively to the front balcony, which has uninterrupted views of the coastline. It’s a beautiful space, morning or afternoon, summer or winter. The winter sun beams into the main living and kitchen by midday and the summer sunsets on the balcony are incredible. I feel we created this amazing indoor/outdoor space that can be utilised all year round for different reasons,” says Kristie.

Photography: Claire McFerren of Gathering Light

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