Houzz Tour: Waterfront Retreat Brings the Hamptons Home to Sydney
This couple's dreams were finally realised when they secured the right spot to build an idyllic resort-style home
Joanna Tovia
28 March 2017
Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well. Follow her photodocumentary about pets and the people who love them on Instagram @unfoldingtails
Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well.... More
The owners of this bayside retreat knew what kind of home they wanted to build and where when they started looking for land. The site needed to be by the water in Sydney’s Burraneer Bay – a sought-after waterside suburb in the city’s south – with plenty of sun and space for their family to enjoy. A decade after they started the search, their persistence paid off when they finally secured one of the large waterfront blocks they’d long had their eye on. Better yet, it had an existing house they could comfortably live in while designing their dream home.
When the time was right, the house was demolished down to the slab, and only the position of the staircase remained the same. “The bedrooms are on the level below, while the living and entertaining areas are on [the top] level to capture the views and be part of the waterfront location,” says Tonka Andjelkovic, the new home’s interior architect. “The owners wanted a warm and inviting home with a calm and coastal feel. It’s really an Australian take on a waterfront Hamptons retreat; it’s the home of their dreams.”
When the time was right, the house was demolished down to the slab, and only the position of the staircase remained the same. “The bedrooms are on the level below, while the living and entertaining areas are on [the top] level to capture the views and be part of the waterfront location,” says Tonka Andjelkovic, the new home’s interior architect. “The owners wanted a warm and inviting home with a calm and coastal feel. It’s really an Australian take on a waterfront Hamptons retreat; it’s the home of their dreams.”
Photos by Maree Homer
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here? A professional couple and two teenagers
Location: Burraneer Bay, Sydney, NSW
Size: 2650-square-metre block; 4 bedrooms, each with ensuites, plus an upstairs bathroom off the kitchen, living room, sitting room and family room
Interior architect: Tonka Andjelkovic, Tonka Andjelkovic Design
Interior decorator: Malise Sassano, Secret Interiors
Building designer: Glen Bowerman, Scope Design
Once the family of four had lived in the existing home on their site long enough to know how the sun and breezes moved through the home in each of the seasons, Andjelkovic and building designer Glen Bowerman conjured up a light and airy family home with a resort feel reminiscent of the Hamptons on Long Island, New York.
A 15-metre pool, barbecue and outdoor kitchen set in manicured tropical gardens by landscape designers SiteDesign+Studios created the wow-factor the owners wanted for arriving visitors.
Sunloungers: Robert Plumb
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here? A professional couple and two teenagers
Location: Burraneer Bay, Sydney, NSW
Size: 2650-square-metre block; 4 bedrooms, each with ensuites, plus an upstairs bathroom off the kitchen, living room, sitting room and family room
Interior architect: Tonka Andjelkovic, Tonka Andjelkovic Design
Interior decorator: Malise Sassano, Secret Interiors
Building designer: Glen Bowerman, Scope Design
Once the family of four had lived in the existing home on their site long enough to know how the sun and breezes moved through the home in each of the seasons, Andjelkovic and building designer Glen Bowerman conjured up a light and airy family home with a resort feel reminiscent of the Hamptons on Long Island, New York.
A 15-metre pool, barbecue and outdoor kitchen set in manicured tropical gardens by landscape designers SiteDesign+Studios created the wow-factor the owners wanted for arriving visitors.
Sunloungers: Robert Plumb
A fresh, white weatherboard-look exterior gives the house a sophisticated coastal feel. The entry doors offer views through the open-plan living areas, out to the verandah and onto the bay.
Plantings on the site now include mature Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis), Japanese box (Buxus microphylla japonica), dragon trees (Dracaena draco), and broadleaf lady palms (Rhapis excelsa).
Plantings on the site now include mature Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis), Japanese box (Buxus microphylla japonica), dragon trees (Dracaena draco), and broadleaf lady palms (Rhapis excelsa).
Thoughtfully chosen furniture, lighting and plants add life without cluttering up the front entrance. A single velvet cushion on an Adirondack chair is enough to make the house look and feel more like a home.
An aged finish on the brass front-door handles will add character over time and gives the new home some soul.
Cavoodle Bolli enjoys the flood of light in the home’s entrance, and has free rein in the predominately open-plan house. The property features very few full walls upstairs, with most stopping either just shy of ceiling or wall to create a smoother flow from one space to another. Sliding doors recess into the walls, ensuring clear lines of sight throughout the home, allowing the views to be more fully enjoyed.
Looking back the other way towards the front doors, the centrally positioned table creates a sense of arrival. “We wanted to create a feeling of relaxation once you enter the house, as if you’re arriving at a resort,” Andjelkovic says.
To create the calm, coastal feel the owners wanted, Andjelkovic and interior designer Malise Sassano opted for a relatively neutral palette of materials with “weathered timber furniture pieces, woven rugs, linen and accessories in white and blues with a soft beach aesthetic”, Andjelkovic says.
The shiplap panelling on the stairwell wall serves as a backdrop to the landing’s sitting area. “It’s an adaptation of classic Hamptons panelling,” Andjelkovic says.
Holt armchairs: MCM House; cushions: Pottery Barn; side table: Coco Republic; Casablanca wool rug: Armadillo&Co
The shiplap panelling on the stairwell wall serves as a backdrop to the landing’s sitting area. “It’s an adaptation of classic Hamptons panelling,” Andjelkovic says.
Holt armchairs: MCM House; cushions: Pottery Barn; side table: Coco Republic; Casablanca wool rug: Armadillo&Co
This living room reflects the effortless elegance of grand Hamptons-style homes, its pale colour palette delivering on the brief for a light and airy feel.
Sofa, armchairs and brass-edged side table: Coco Republic; rug: Armadillo&Co
Sofa, armchairs and brass-edged side table: Coco Republic; rug: Armadillo&Co
A fully equipped kitchen looks out to the pool on one side and the bay on the other. Dark bar stools disappear into the navy American-oak island bench.
Stools: Cafe Culture+Insitu
Stools: Cafe Culture+Insitu
Topping the island is a Calacatta marble benchtop, bringing a luxe finishing touch to the space.
The homeowners love to have friends and family over, so the designers created a series of dining and lounging areas inside and out with views across Burraneer Bay. “This house is made for entertaining,” Andjelkovic says. “It’s the ultimate waterfront retreat.”
Engineered European-oak floorboards laid throughout the home’s upper level have a matt finish, reducing any glare from the abundance of natural light that streams into the home. Louvred transom windows facilitate airflow to the point that no air conditioning is needed.
This ground-level floor plan shows the variety of areas designed for gathering as a family or with friends.
Stairs descend to the lower level’s bedrooms, cellar and garage.
The lower-level floor plan reveals generously proportioned bedrooms with ensuites and plenty of wardrobe space for the family members, along with a similarly spacious guest room.
In the master bedroom, texture, pattern and deeper tones come into play, giving the room the sumptuous, expensive feel of a boutique five-star hotel. A TV pops up from the cabinet at the foot of the bed and the upholstered wall behind the bed doubles as a bedhead. The bedroom leads onto a private waterside terrace.
Natural linen curtains: Rolletna; bedside table and Sloan English armchair: Coco Republic; wall sconces: The Lighting Guild
Natural linen curtains: Rolletna; bedside table and Sloan English armchair: Coco Republic; wall sconces: The Lighting Guild
All four bedrooms in the home have ensuites. In the spacious master bedroom ensuite, Carrara marble tiles line the floor, splashback and shower recess, while a bank of mirrored cabinets over the double vanity amplifies the natural light.
Stool and bath towels: Citta Design; Kaldewei bath and Scala mixer: Reece
Stool and bath towels: Citta Design; Kaldewei bath and Scala mixer: Reece
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Sorry for typo. When can I move in.
Beautiful home, nice and light with heaps of space. I love the concrete pool renovation out the back.
Beutiful house! Blue-and-white song.