Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: A Beach-Shack Look Suits Bayside Life in Melbourne
The timber-slat extension to an Art Deco helped to create a laid-back lifestyle to suit this outdoorsy family
It’s a big ask – to double the size of the floorplan and make living in the extended home feel a bit like hanging out at a beach shack. To make it happen, architect Fiona Dunin of FMD Architects combined simple, boxy shapes with a lot of recycled-look timber for a cool, contemporary home with a rustic edge.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple, their two daughters – now aged 7 and 9 – and their dog, Daisy
Location: Bayside, Melbourne
Size: 289 square metres (on a 681 square metre block); 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Era built: The original home is 1920s.
That’s interesting: The owners can watch tennis from their back deck
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple, their two daughters – now aged 7 and 9 – and their dog, Daisy
Location: Bayside, Melbourne
Size: 289 square metres (on a 681 square metre block); 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Era built: The original home is 1920s.
That’s interesting: The owners can watch tennis from their back deck
“There’s chamfered, tapering detailing to the chimney, so we’ve used that chamfered profile in the timber battens we selected as well,” Dunin says.
The family lived in the home for several years before renovating. Originally, the home had three bedrooms and one bathroom, so creating more room to move was a top priority. “The kitchen was terrible,” adds Dunin. “It was the original kitchen from the ’20s, and same with the bathroom – it hadn’t been touched.”
The family lived in the home for several years before renovating. Originally, the home had three bedrooms and one bathroom, so creating more room to move was a top priority. “The kitchen was terrible,” adds Dunin. “It was the original kitchen from the ’20s, and same with the bathroom – it hadn’t been touched.”
With a tight budget in mind, Dunin worked with a carefully chosen off-the-shelf batten product. Radial Timber’s milling process gives battens a slightly curved and chamfered profile, making them less likely to warp. The decking boards are milled the same way, allowing water to run off more readily.
The couple sold their beach house to pay for the renovations, but wanted to recreate the same beach shack feel in their own home.
A ready-made ‘recycled timber’ look was achieved by the careful choice of timber and the finish on the boards. Radial Timber’s untreated Silvertop Ash also holds the eco-appeal of being a local native species.
Silvertop Ash (no treatment) over Cement Sheet used externally: Radial Timber
Silvertop Ash (no treatment) over Cement Sheet used externally: Radial Timber
Dunin employed subtle design elements on the decorative battens used on exterior walls, differing the lengths of the battens at the lower edge of the wall.
Looking out the open back windows, you could be forgiven for thinking that this family would be eagerly waiting for a privacy screen to grow and shield the view to neighbouring tennis courts – as well as block the tennis courts’ very bright night-lighting. However, this is a home designed to maximise court-side vantage points.
“Because the girls are members of the tennis club and play every weekend, the parents can sit on the deck and watch them,” Dunin says. “It’s like having your own private tennis club.”
Barwon outdoor dining set: Eco Outdoor Furniture; indoor dining table and chairs: clients’ own
“Because the girls are members of the tennis club and play every weekend, the parents can sit on the deck and watch them,” Dunin says. “It’s like having your own private tennis club.”
Barwon outdoor dining set: Eco Outdoor Furniture; indoor dining table and chairs: clients’ own
When more privacy is desired, the family can retreat to the deck that has been cut into the side of the extension. The north-facing nook also acts as a pleasant light well for the living spaces, playroom and kitchen.
“The outdoor deck facing west is a nice place to have dinner and a barbie, but then there’s a north-facing courtyard as well which brings in lots of northern sunlight – having those punctuations also allows you to see right through the spaces.”
Roger outdoor lounge chairs: Jardan; Tio outdoor coffee table: Luke Furniture
“The outdoor deck facing west is a nice place to have dinner and a barbie, but then there’s a north-facing courtyard as well which brings in lots of northern sunlight – having those punctuations also allows you to see right through the spaces.”
Roger outdoor lounge chairs: Jardan; Tio outdoor coffee table: Luke Furniture
Apart from pleasing the tennis-mad, Dunin’s brief was to renovate the existing bathroom and bedrooms, add an additional main bedroom suite up top, and create new living and alfresco areas.
As well as this extra bedroom, the upstairs level features a substantial study, walk-in robe and ensuite. Shutters can open up to reveal views of the tennis court. The parents’ level is accessed via a discretely placed staircase near the children’s bedroom doors.
As well as this extra bedroom, the upstairs level features a substantial study, walk-in robe and ensuite. Shutters can open up to reveal views of the tennis court. The parents’ level is accessed via a discretely placed staircase near the children’s bedroom doors.
There is a devoted playroom near the kitchen, designed with the foresight that it will eventually evolve into a study as the children grow. “So as the dynamics of the family change over time, the spaces can adapt accordingly,” Dunin says.
Ptolomeo bookshelf: Space Furniture
Ptolomeo bookshelf: Space Furniture
But for now, she says, the layout of the living spaces needed to “revolve around sight lines and passive surveillance” of the couple’s two young daughters. “That will be particularly important when the pool goes in,” she says. It’s drawn on the plans, but is in the not-yet basket, due to budget constraints.
DLM by Hay side table: Cult
DLM by Hay side table: Cult
The stools at the kitchen bench, made of element-resistant rubber-coated metal, are the only obvious nod to the colourful beach shack tradition that attracts tourists to nearby Port Phillip Bay. Dunin says the home owners wanted to keep the kitchen very simple, and for it not to be a dominant feature in the extension. The benchtop is Essastone and the cabinets white laminate.
Hee bar stool by Hay: Cult
Hee bar stool by Hay: Cult
The same timber battens feature in the kitchen as in the adjoining courtyard, to connect the two areas. “The kitchen is where you get that nice transition from inside to outside,” Dunin says. “Robust timber wrapping up the face of the island bench also creates that seamless connection from one space to the next.”
For furnishings, Dunin stuck with a neutral colour palette that continues the understated coastal theme. “I like the openness of the house,” Dunin says, when asked what she likes best about it. “There’s an openness between the spaces but the living area can be defined from the play area without it being one big open space. I think that’s whats nice about it. That, and the home’s flexibility.”
As for the clients, Dunin says they love the home’s sense of space and light. “To me, that’s one of the greatest luxuries – a sense of space is more luxurious than any finish you can apply to a room,” she says.
Milo sofa: Jardan
As for the clients, Dunin says they love the home’s sense of space and light. “To me, that’s one of the greatest luxuries – a sense of space is more luxurious than any finish you can apply to a room,” she says.
Milo sofa: Jardan
The backyard has been turfed until the family gets their pool. However, the wide steps coming down from the deck have been designed by Dunin as the perfect place for a bit of post-swim lounging about. The girls already spend time out there sunbaking in summer, even without the pool.
The steps in the west deck negate the need to have a balustrade to the pool, so there will be uninterrupted sight lines from the deck to the pool and tennis court beyond, once it’s installed.
TELL US
How do you like the juxtaposition of old and new in this revamped Bayside home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
The steps in the west deck negate the need to have a balustrade to the pool, so there will be uninterrupted sight lines from the deck to the pool and tennis court beyond, once it’s installed.
TELL US
How do you like the juxtaposition of old and new in this revamped Bayside home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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