skip to main content
Resene 2021 Colour Tips
Sign In
Join as a Pro
History of Houzz
  • PHOTOS
    KITCHEN & DINING
    • Kitchen
    • Dining
    • Pantry
    • Open-Plan
    LIVING
    • Living Room
    • Family Room
    • Home Theatre
    • Sunroom
    BED & BATH
    • Bathroom
    • Powder Room
    • Bedroom
    • Baby & Kids
    OUTDOOR
    • Garden
    • Patio
    • Deck
    • Pool
    MORE SPACES
    • Exterior
    • Balcony
    • Verandah
    • Laundry
    • Staircase
    • Hallway
    • Entry
    • Home Office
    • Home Bar
    • Storage & Wardrobe
    • View All
  • FIND PROFESSIONALS
    DESIGN & RENOVATION
    • Architects
    • Bathroom Renovators
    • Architectural Designers
    • Design & Construction
    • Home Builders
    • Interior Designers & Decorators
    • Joinery & Cabinet Makers
    • Kitchen Designers & Renovators
    GARDEN & OUTDOORS
    • Decks, Patios & Structures
    • Fencing & Gates
    • Garden & Landscape Supplies
    • Landscape Architects & Designers
    • Landscape Contractors
    • Pools & Spas
    HOME IMPROVEMENT
    • Carpenters
    • Lighting
    • Stone, Pavers & Concrete
    • Home Stylists & Property Staging
    • Tile, Stone & Benchtops
    • Windows
    • Furniture & Home Decor
    • Building Supplies
    • Kitchen & Bath Fixtures
    HOME SERVICES
    • Cleaners & Removalists
    • Electricians
    • Furniture Restoration
    • Heating & Air Conditioning
    • Painting & Wallpaper
    • Plumbers
    • Roofing & Gutters
    • Other Contractors
    View All Pros View All Services
  • STORIES
    STORIES FROM HOUZZ
    • Houzz Tours
    • Kitchens
    • Bathrooms
    • More Rooms
    • Decorating
    • Outdoor Living
    • Renovating
    • Architecture
    • Fun Houzz
    • Most Popular
    • Life
    • Houzz TV
    HOUZZ RESEARCH
    HOUZZ TV
  • ADVICE
    HOUZZ DISCUSSIONS
    • Design Dilemma
    • Before & After
    • Polls
    • Kitchens
    • Living Rooms
    • Gardens
    • Bathrooms
    • Renovating
    • Home Decorating
    • Flooring
    • Exterior
    • Building a home
Most Popular
Most Popular
Top-Shelf: Storage Options for a Study With Style
Top Ideabooks
Top-Shelf: Storage Options for a Study With StyleTop 5 Rookie Bathroom-Renovation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)A Landscape Architect Reveals: 3 Things I Wish My Clients KnewIs Our Love Affair With Bi-Fold Doors Over?
Appears in
Latest from Houzz
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Spacious Family Home Sits on Sliver of a Site
Top Ideabooks
Houzz Tour: Spacious Family Home Sits on Sliver of a SiteHouzz Tour: Grand Church Reinvented as Showstopping Family HomeHouzz Tour: A Beachside Grand Dame's Tender RenewalHouzz Tour: The Reno That Put a 1970s House Ahead of the Curve
Appears in
Latest from Houzz
See also
Eclectic HomesContemporary HomesBeach HomesColourful HomesModern HomesTraditional HomesCountry HomesSmall HomesRental HomesHoliday HomesNew Zealand HomesSustainable Homes
Decorating
Decorating
The Golden Rules of Proportion: Decor Laws You Need to Know
Top Ideabooks
The Golden Rules of Proportion: Decor Laws You Need to KnowMy Houzz: A Chic Tropical Oasis in the Heart of the ’BurbsHow to Make Your Home Look Posh (Without a Royal Budget)How to Use Pantone’s Uplifting 2021 Colour of the Year at Home
Appears in
Latest from Houzz
See also
SeasonalColourDecorating IdeasLightingDecorating By StyleDecorating FAQsDecorating By RoomTexture
Renovating
Renovating
Renovation Insight: How to Choose a Tiler
Top Ideabooks
Renovation Insight: How to Choose a TilerExpert Eye: 6 Smart Ways to Add Value to Your Kitchen RenoPro Panel: 8 Reno Blunders and How to Avoid ThemBest of the Week: 29 Sensational Joinery Ideas
Appears in
Latest from Houzz
See also
Renovating AdviceRenovating FAQs

My Houzz: A Chic Tropical Oasis in the Heart of the ’Burbs

Quaint worker’s cottage on the outside, contemporary coastal abode inside – see how this interior designer-owner did it

Georgia Madden
Georgia MaddenJanuary 6, 2021
Senior writer, Houzz Australia
More
Print
Embed
Facebook
Twitter
Email
With a fetching facade and bucketloads of potential, this 1890s worker’s cottage in Brisbane’s leafy suburb of Hawthorne was easy to fall in love with. This was the case for owner and interior designer Jordan Cash, principal at Beach Society Design Co. Knocking the interior into shape while honouring the home’s history took a little more effort. “This was a full makeover for the beautiful old gal, so we kept her gorgeous bones on the outside and gutted the inside,” says Cash.

Cash and her husband Dion purchased the house in 2016 and spent the next year making notes for a renovation that would open up the space and imbue it with the casual, coastal style they loved. Their meticulous efforts paid off: the renovation itself took just three months – which was swiftly followed by the arrival of their daughter Goldie three weeks later.

“We knocked down almost all the internal walls inside the house and started from scratch,” says Cash. “The original layout didn’t work and there was a lot of dead space that wasn’t being used to its full potential. So apart from the outside walls and the front bedroom, which we left largely untouched, everything inside is brand new. From the outside she looks like a charming, old worker’s cottage and on the inside she’s chic, modern and comfortable.”
Hannah Puechmarin
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Interior designer Jordan Cash and her husband Dion, their one-year-old daughter Goldie, and samoyed dog Forrest
Location: Hawthorne, Queensland
Description: A single-storey, mid-1890s Queenslander with four bedrooms and two bathrooms
Builder: Houghton Homes
Budget: Approximately $300,000
Most of the budget went on: Construction, labour and materials for the structural changes needed to open up the internal spaces

“I had a very strong idea about how I wanted this house to look and, most importantly, feel,” says Cash. “I wanted it to feel calm and organic – like walking into a beach house at your favourite holiday destination. Think a dreamy, modern oasis in the middle of the ’burbs.”

The result is a home the family can enjoy for years to come. “This hanging chair is probably my favourite piece I bought for the house,” says Cash. “Goldie and I sit here in the afternoon sun, waiting for Dion to come home from work and waving to passers-by.”

Hanging chair: Byron Bay Hanging Chairs; rug: Armadillo&Co
Hannah Puechmarin
The exterior of the house was the first thing Cash fell for. “It has that quintessential Queenslander charm, and that original cross bracing on the front of the house made me weak at the knees,” says Cash.

Apart from a lick of paint, the 120-year-old facade was one of the few spots the couple didn’t touch during works. “Not intruding on the home’s original character was really important to us,” she says.

Decking painted in Dulux Flooded Gum; other surfaces painted in Dulux Lexicon Quarter
Hannah Puechmarin
Light, space and an indoor-outdoor connection were key to the relaxed, coastal vibe Cash was after. “Open-plan living allows the main spaces to flow freely into each other, making the home feel both spacious and intimate at the same time,” she says.

The open-plan kitchen/living/dining room runs the full length of the house – a clever design ploy Cash used to make the relatively small space feel bigger than it is. “Having a view right from the front door to the palm trees out the back helps visually elongate it,” she says.

Thinking of renovating? Find a local interior designer on Houzz to help you bring your vision to life
Hannah Puechmarin
Cash was clear about her renovation must-haves from the outset, which helped her focus on the changes that really make an impact.

“Originally, the house was dark and boxy, so drawing in more light was my main priority,” she says.

“Second: big, open spaces. This little worker’s cottage is not large, so it was important that we opened the floor plan right up to create big, flowing open-plan living… but on a small scale.

“And third: French-oak floors. The original polished timber floors were mismatched and stained a nasty orange tone. Replacing them with delicious lime-washed engineered-oak floors completely elevated the space,” says Cash. “My most exciting day on-site was when these beauties were installed.”

Interior walls and ceilings throughout: Dulux Lexicon Quarter
The original floor plan
The floor plan after works

The calm, relaxed haven the family now calls home gives no hint of the brunt work that went on behind the scenes to make it happen. “Life was absolute chaos,” says Cash. “I was heavily pregnant, working four days a week and managing the renovation. I was on-site and climbing up ladders at seven months pregnant – and basically giving my builder a heart attack. We used to joke that I was his walking deadline.”
Hannah Puechmarin
“We have a big, loud family that loves to eat,” says Cash. “So it felt natural to make the kitchen the heart of the new design, with all the rooms flowing off it on three sides.

Kitchen benchtop: Caesarstone in Cloudburst; joinery in kitchen and living room: Polytec in Black Wenge
Hannah Puechmarin
“We wanted to build out as close to the pool as possible and create somewhere that doubled as a spot to relax in the sun or have a drink and chat to people in the pool. So I came up with this idea to create stadium-like seating that tiered down to the water,” says Cash.

“We chose spotted gum, which will bleach out over time and go that gorgeous silvery grey,” she says.
Hannah Puechmarin
“You can completely open up the back of the house to the pool and palm trees, so when you’re sitting on the living-room sofa it feels as though you’re outside – it’s heaven,” says Cash.
Hannah Puechmarin
The home’s coastal-inspired palette consists of sandy ochres, olive green, grey and lashings of white. “I’m drawn to earthy, organic tones and love a natural, tonal palette. It sets a calm and peaceful mood, and looks beautiful with greenery,” says Cash.

Black accents in the joinery and furniture add depth. “In a sea of white and neutrals, black makes for a welcome contrast and breathes energy into the scheme,” says Cash.
Hannah Puechmarin
The custom-made cupboards in the dining room provide more than just storage. “We didn’t have room for a separate laundry, so it’s hidden behind these cupboard doors,” says Cash.

Pendants: CLO Studios
Hannah Puechmarin
The house is ideal for laid-back entertaining, says Cash. “Our home is a revolving door of family and friends – there are always people lounging on the sofa with a coffee or cooking something delicious in the kitchen.”

Sofa: King Living
Hannah Puechmarin
One of the couple’s biggest renovation splurges was new engineered French-oak flooring. “It was a non-negotiable for me as I knew it would have a dramatic impact on the overall transformation of the space,” says Cash.

To add texture to the hallway – while keeping with its beachside feel – Cash created a quirky display of hats on the wall. “I’ve always had a little obsession with gorgeous straw hats, which is silly really because I’ve never actually worn them,” says Cash.

The bench and pendant are from St Barts in Byron Bay, NSW.
Hannah Puechmarin
In order to gain enough room to accomodate an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom, the house was extended right out to the pool.

To maximise the sense of space in the master suite – and accentuate the home’s ceilings, which are four metres high – the couple chose not to put doors on the ensuite and walk-in wardrobe and took the opening right up to the ceiling.

Browse more exquisite coastal-style Australian bedrooms
Hannah Puechmarin
The ensuite

“We really saved money in our bathrooms,” says Cash. “There are so many amazing and affordable options these days that make it easy to create elegant and stylish bathrooms for not very much.”

The ensuite sink is from Concrete Nation and the tiles are from TileCloud.
Hannah Puechmarin
Goldie’s bedroom

“I’ve always loved the idea of children’s bedrooms being eclectic, bright and a bit left-of-field – like stepping inside the imagination of a child,” says Cash.

“I often refer to the look as ‘beautiful chaos’ because that’s exactly what life with kids is.”
Hannah Puechmarin
So what would Cash do differently next time? “I honestly don’t know,” she says. “I think we did such a good job maximising this small space and creating an environment that feels both roomy and intimate.

“We put so much hard work into creating this dreamy little oasis and I’m so happy with how she’s turned out.”
Hannah Puechmarin
Next up on the couple’s to-do list? “We really want to redesign our garage and build a gorgeous carport. I’m picturing something with breeze blocks,” says Cash. The perfect finishing touch to a home that nails easy, breezy living.


Your turn
Which features do you love most in this beautiful home? Tell us in the Comments below, save your favourite images, like this story and join the conversation.

More
Want to be inspired by more amazing renovations? Don’t miss last week’s Project of the Week: An Upside-Down Solution for a Skinny, Rundown Terrace
Print
Embed
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Comments (20)
See 17 more comments
  • HU-713128073
    13 days ago

    I really dislike bedrooms running directly off living areas.


  • HU-319610855
    12 days ago

    I love the floors- so much better than nasty high gloss. Unlike citybee, the other thing that I liked and noted was the black track spotlights- looks great.

  • Katie
    2 days ago

    WOW! I love the walls and the colour you’ve used for ur kitchen cabinet

  • Read Related Stories
    Top-Shelf: Storage Options for a Study With Style
    Home OfficesTop-Shelf: Storage Options for a Study With Style
    By Joanna Tovia
    How to choose a shelving option that marries function with flair for your hard-working home office
    Full Story7
    Top 5 Rookie Bathroom-Renovation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
    BathroomsTop 5 Rookie Bathroom-Renovation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
    By Naomi Findlay
    A renovation expert reveals the five blunders most first-time bathroom renovators make, and how to steer clear of them
    Full Story13
    A Landscape Architect Reveals: 3 Things I Wish My Clients Knew
    Garden DesignA Landscape Architect Reveals: 3 Things I Wish My Clients Knew
    By Georgia Madden
    A landscape architect shares three important things he wishes every client understood before the start of a project
    Full Story51
    Is Our Love Affair With Bi-Fold Doors Over?
    DoorsIs Our Love Affair With Bi-Fold Doors Over?
    By Sarah Warwick
    Do bi-fold doors justify their popularity, or should we be choosing a different way to open our homes to the garden?
    Full Story154
    My Houzz: A Chic Tropical Oasis in the Heart of the ’Burbs
    Houzz ToursMy Houzz: A Chic Tropical Oasis in the Heart of the ’Burbs
    By Georgia Madden
    Quaint worker’s cottage on the outside, contemporary coastal abode inside – see how this interior designer-owner did it
    Full Story20
    How to Make Your Home Look Posh (Without a Royal Budget)
    DecoratingHow to Make Your Home Look Posh (Without a Royal Budget)
    By Samantha van Egmond
    No need to spend big... a few little luxuries can go a long way towards creating a home fit for a queen
    Full Story2
    Good Neighbours: How to Stop Your Outdoor Noise Travelling
    OutdoorsGood Neighbours: How to Stop Your Outdoor Noise Travelling
    By Julia Fairley
    From rugs and awnings to screens, here are some noise-dampening ideas to keep you in your neighbours' good books
    Full Story18
    Best of the Week: 27 Clever Kitchen Set-Ups
    KitchensBest of the Week: 27 Clever Kitchen Set-Ups
    By Georgia Madden
    From genius layouts to smart storage solutions, here are 27 inspired kitchen designs on Houzz
    Full Story24
    The 10-Second Rule: How a Sorted Entry Sets Up a Well-Run Home
    OrganisingThe 10-Second Rule: How a Sorted Entry Sets Up a Well-Run Home
    By Amy Revell
    What you do in the first 10 seconds of entering your house can set the tone for how organised your family is at home
    Full Story20
    19 Contemporary Attic Conversions to Covet
    Best Of The Week19 Contemporary Attic Conversions to Covet
    By Vanessa Walker
    Attic space has come a long way in a few years. Here are 19 attics that nail the need for personality and simplicity
    Full Story8
    Houzz Tour: Making Family Memories at a Holiday House Getaway
    Houzz ToursHouzz Tour: Making Family Memories at a Holiday House Getaway
    By Rebecca Gross
    Materials, textures and colours create an intrinsic connection to place and set the scene to make family memories
    Full Story13
    12 Tactics for Creating More Kitchen Bench Space
    Kitchens12 Tactics for Creating More Kitchen Bench Space
    By Julia Fairley
    No bench space? No problem. These design tips will help you create extra work zones in your kitchen
    Full Story19
    Best of the Week: 21 Tiled Accents Beyond Bathrooms & Kitchens
    Decorating IdeasBest of the Week: 21 Tiled Accents Beyond Bathrooms & Kitchens
    By Julia Fairley
    Think tiles belong only in kitchens and bathrooms? These tile-accented living areas, bedrooms and beyond prove otherwise
    Full Story12
    24 Delicious Alfresco Dining Set-Ups Worldwide
    Picture Perfect24 Delicious Alfresco Dining Set-Ups Worldwide
    By Vanessa Walker
    Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
    Full Story7
    Buzz Off! How to Keep Mozzies Away Without the Spray
    SeasonalBuzz Off! How to Keep Mozzies Away Without the Spray
    By Georgia Madden
    Don't let those annoying critters ruin your time outdoors – here's how to deter them without reaching for the spray
    Full Story14
    People who liked this story also liked
    Top-Shelf: Storage Options for a Study With Style
    Top-Shelf: Storage Options for a Study With StyleFull Story
    Top 5 Rookie Bathroom-Renovation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
    Top 5 Rookie Bathroom-Renovation Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)Full Story
    A Landscape Architect Reveals: 3 Things I Wish My Clients Knew
    A Landscape Architect Reveals: 3 Things I Wish My Clients KnewFull Story
    Is Our Love Affair With Bi-Fold Doors Over?
    Is Our Love Affair With Bi-Fold Doors Over?Full Story
    My Houzz: A Chic Tropical Oasis in the Heart of the ’Burbs
    My Houzz: A Chic Tropical Oasis in the Heart of the ’BurbsFull Story
    How to Make Your Home Look Posh (Without a Royal Budget)
    How to Make Your Home Look Posh (Without a Royal Budget)Full Story
    Good Neighbours: How to Stop Your Outdoor Noise Travelling
    Good Neighbours: How to Stop Your Outdoor Noise TravellingFull Story
    Best of the Week: 27 Clever Kitchen Set-Ups
    Best of the Week: 27 Clever Kitchen Set-UpsFull Story
    The 10-Second Rule: How a Sorted Entry Sets Up a Well-Run Home
    The 10-Second Rule: How a Sorted Entry Sets Up a Well-Run HomeFull Story
    19 Contemporary Attic Conversions to Covet
    19 Contemporary Attic Conversions to CovetFull Story
    • New Zealand
    • ABOUT
    • CAREERS
    • MOBILE APPS
    • PROFESSIONALS
    • BUTTONS
    • ADVERTISE
    • Terms & Privacy
    • © 2021 Houzz Inc.