By the Bay House

The By the Bay House

My first solo project. Throughout lockdowns and complete uncertainty, we still made this project work. Starting in early 2020, the vision for this home was ‘classic, Australian, coastal’. I wanted a space where there was touches of fun, and little pops of cool, coastal colour, paired with a lot of white to open it right up. This home was a classic 70’s shack, mission brown everywhere, retro wallpaper in red and orange spilling the walls. Even some boobs on the wallpaper (I’m not lying, see below for the before images), which had no business being there. We stripped it back to it’s bones and found that once we got rid of all the 70’s, and the pops of asbestos - we actually had a good base to work with. A small layout change to open up the living/dining space and create some much needed storage in the hallway, as well as a 8x5m deck to give us an additional living space during the warmer months was all that was needed for this little space to really take shape. We added some budget friendly additions, like the IKEA pax robes with Globe West handles that saved tens of thousands. But we spent where necessary, such as custom cabinetry in the kitchen, laundry and bathroom, 40mm stone and integrated Miele dishwasher, and custom skylights on the decking area to let in light and give an architectural feel. Engineered oak flooring, wool carpet to give a warm feel under foot. Juxtaposed with the Italian tiles in the kitchen, handmade, found on Facebook marketplace for a mere $80. Everything was chosen online, proving that samples, having a good eye and a knack for online shopping really can make a house. We splurged outside, with stone style crazy paving surrounding the south eastern side of the home, and blackbutt decking to give the outside a stunning focal point. Filled with furniture that is calm, coastal with pops of bright colour on the walls courtesy of Kirsten Jackson, Lumiere & Jessie Rigby. This house has something for everyone, it’s had many passers by comment, door knock or yell over the fence. It has a feeling of home, and makes you feel comfortable and relaxed as soon as you walk in the gate.

Before…