We can’t wrap up the year without sharing our favourite coastal homes — it is summer, after all! And these seaside abodes are the best place to be when the sun is shining and an ocean swim is calling....
6 Coastal Homes That Blew Us Away In 2023
Coastal
Painting by Enos Namatjira. Ikea coffee table. Armadillo rug. Ikea dining table and bench. Cherner chairs bought from Facebook Marketplace. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli. Photo – Eve Wilson
&Tradition Setago Table Lamp. Kitchen painted Dulux Tranquil Retreat. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli. Photo – Eve Wilson
Vintage wooden chimes, mask, pottery and paintings. Cane chair bought from an op-shop. Timber coffee table painted Dulux Tiamo. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli. Photo – Eve Wilson
The beach house captures the nostalgic feel of summer holidays past. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli. Photo – Eve Wilson
A 1980s Timber Beach House Where Every Day Feels Like A Holiday
For many Australians, a dream summer holiday involves the sun, sea, and coming together as a family in a familiar home.
Josephine and Paul Luczak and their two children are lucky enough to experience this more often than most, in their circa 1988 Cape Schanck beach house, clad in western red cedar.
The couple have made only minor cosmetic renovations to the existing home, to highlight its original design features, and celebrate its sweeping ocean views.
Swansong is the off-grid holiday house of Lisa Hatfield and landscape designer Sam Cox, and it’s available to book! Photo – Natasha Mulhall
An Owner-Designed, Off-Grid Escape In Bay Of Fires
Lisa Hatfield and landscape designer Sam Cox have long had an affinity with Tasmania and its natural environment. In 2014, they purchased a bush block on the state’s north-east coast, with plans to immerse a sustainable holiday house in the remarkable Bay of Fires region.
The newly-completed home, Swansong, is both inspired by the landscape, and a platform for taking in its calming water and bushland views. A deliberately small 60 square metre footprint spans two pavilions, designed to recreate the feeling of camping, as guests move between the spaces.
To experience Swansong is to experience nature in the town of St Helens—its weather, wildlife, sparkling turquoise waters and famous orange lichen-covered landscape.
Inside Leigh’s beautiful beach house! 6286 Dining Table by Fredericia from Cult Design. Custom made banquette seat. Akari Pendant Light from Finnish Design Shop. Ceiling stained with Porter’s Paints Watermark. Photo – Nikole Ramsay for The Design Files. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli
Art wall left to right: ‘Blonde Girl’ by Heide Yardley. ‘Lost Cat’ ceramic bowl and watercolour painting by Noel McKenna. ‘Untitled’ oil painting by Tim Bass. Stylised flower by Wilma Tabacco. ‘Scott in Central Park Snow’ by Donald Holt. ‘Richie Tenenbaum’ by Marc Etherington. ‘Max’ ceramic tile by Noel McKenna. Oil painting by Angela Brennan. ‘Otways Coastal’ lithograph by Jan Senbergs. ‘Love Hurts’ by Jon Campbell. Pastel drawing by Julian Martin. Watercolour by Noel McKenna. ‘Hakusan Waves’ ceramic thong by Gerry Wedd. ‘After the Rain’ by Julian Twigg. Pastel drawing by Fulli Andrinopoulos. Below: ‘Cupcakes’ by Lucy Culliton. Ceramic vessels by Hermie Cornelisse. Photo – Nikole Ramsay for The Design Files. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli
The stunning view from the dining table! Skantherm Shaker Fireplace from Oblica. Korbo Classic 24 Galvanised Wire Basket from Finnish Design Shop. Artek Day Bed from Anibou. Duvet by Marimekko. Photo – Nikole Ramsay for The Design Files. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli
An Interior Designer’s Dreamy Beach House On The Great Ocean Road
The beach house of Leigh Ellwood is the definition of a dream.
The interior designer and her family purchased the ‘80s home in 2020 for its perched position above the Great Ocean Road, offering ocean views as far as the eye can see.
These views drove a subsequent renovation inspired by the minimal timber interiors of Cabanon (1951) on the Côte d’Azur in France—the holiday house of Le Corbusier.
By reducing the palette of materials to the essentials (plus some special paintings – including one by an Archibald Prize winner), the house recedes into the background, allowing the natural world (and that view!) to become the complete focus. Just perfection!
House exterior paint colour – Dulux Tiamo. Ceramic outdoor wall lamp by We Ponder. Garden design by Jo Ferguson. Editorial styling – Annie Portelli. Photo – Eve Wilson
Inside Lucy’s Breezy Family Beach Shack!
This cute little beach shack in Blairgowrie has been a passion project for me and my husband Gordy over the past year, after we took a big leap and purchased the place exactly 12 months ago, in June 2022.
Originally a very basic 1970s (we think?) fibro cabin, we have transformed this humble two bedroom weekender into a cosy family escape — which still has the essence of a sleepy beach shack, elevated with contemporary design and craftsmanship. And a whole lot of beautiful art, lighting and designer details!
We’ve named the place ‘Silvermoon’, and it’s also available for short term stays.
A dilapidated 1950s boatshed on the side was transformed into a treasured extension of the main house, sitting atop the dunes facing Somers beach. Photo – Derek Swalwell
A Serene And Spectacular Multi-Generational Beach House
It’s hard to find words bigger than ‘spectacular’ or ‘serene’ to describe the true magic of Somers Beach House by Wellard Architects.
Built onto a steep beachfront site on the South Eastern side of Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, the home was designed as a couple’s private retreat that could also accommodate other generations of their family over the holidays.
The steel and timber-lined build perfectly frames uninterrupted water views, while a 1950s boat shed has been transformed into a treasured extension of the main home, ‘hovering’ calmly on the dunes of Somers Beach.
Tones of terracotta, brown and cream ensure the space is warm and inviting. Photo – Lillie Thompson
The retro beach house has been revamped, but the exterior is still a classic! Photo – Lillie Thompson
The new interiors are equal parts glamorous and eclectic. Photo – Lillie Thompson
A Luxurious Reworking Of An Eclectic Retro Beach House
Anton Assaad, the founder of Great Dane Furniture, found his family’s Point Lonsdale beach house in the middle of the pandemic.
The retro home, located among sand dunes and ancient Moonah trees, has been carefully renovated to become the perfect backdrop for his (unsurprisingly) impressive furniture and art collection.
Now, the updated abode hides luxurious interiors, eclectic designer pieces and warm spaces for their whole family to relax, while listening to the sounds of the waves.