10 Of Our Favourite Coastal Homes From 2024
Architecture
Custom made blackbutt windows and doors by Teal Windows. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
Courtney Adamo in her Minnie Water holiday home. Blackbutt veneer panelling on the walls. Wall light by Wo & Wé. Custom sofa seat cushions made by The Dusty Road. Decorative cushions by Citta. Rug by Pampa. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
Stools by Dowel Jones. Pendant lights by In Common With. Island bench top marble by CDK Stone. Blackbutt veneer cabinetry. Solid blackbutt timber shelves. Terrazzo tiles by Fibonacci. Photo – Caitlin Mills. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
Courtney Adamo’s ‘Modern Mid-Century’ Beachfront Holiday Home
Courtney Adamo’s family home in Bangalow, where she lives with her husband Michael Adamo and their five children Easton (19), Quin (17), Ivy (15), Marlow (11), and Wilkie (7) is a late 1890s house filled with period charm.
The family’s newly-built beach house in Minnie Water is the equally beautiful opposite.
Inspired by original mid-century homes (including the termite-ridden fisherman’s shack previously on this site), this contemporary house was designed for making memories, and taking in the great outdoors.
Courtney says life slows down at the house, allowing the Adamos to focus on the things that matter most: embracing nature, and spending quality time with friends and family.
The concrete rooftop garden allows greenery to hang overhead, softening the home’s robust material palette. Photo – Willem-Dirk Du Toit. Styling – Sawsee
The floorplan is made up of four sections that can be opened or closed with sliding doors. Photo – Willem-Dirk Du Toit. Styling – Sawsee
Every spaces has been oriented to bring in natural light and maximise the views of the natural landscape. Photo – Willem-Dirk Du Toit. Styling – Sawsee
A Relaxing Family Home Where Every Day Feels Like A Holiday
Little More House is equal parts rustic and refined, blending influences from both the country and the coast into one family home.
The Shoreham build is home to owner-builders Jeni and Matt Westle (of Loreco Constructions and Sawsee), their kids, Pippa (6) and Finny (4), and their kelpie cross Frankie.
With the help of MEGArchitects and Kim Kneipp on the project, the finished home is a true dream home, designed to emulate the relaxed lifestyle the owners had experienced in various short-stay getaways across Australia!
The Mornington Peninsula house and garden of Kate Ryan and Dave Bonighton.
Fermob table. Hay Palissade series seating from Cult.
Oblica Shaker fireplace. Jardan Lemmy sofa. Great Dane Furniture rug. Coffee table from Grandfather’s Axe.
A Charming Australian Beach House Made For Year-Round Coastal Living
There’s a cosy, almost cabin-like feel to Alepp Soap founder Kate Ryan and brewer Dave Bonighton’s house, making it appropriate for both chilly winters, and summer days spent on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
The couple initially bought the Shoreham property as their holiday home in 2015, before making the permanent move to the beach years later. They underwent a major renovation designed by Preston Lane architects to mark the transition, creating the warm and welcoming home you see today, surrounded by a glorious garden.
Like the original weatherboard 1950s building, the renovation champions timber both inside and out to sit harmoniously within nature and age like fine wine.
The design prioritises indoor-outdoor flow. Photo – Tasha Tylee. Styling – Tatjana Melchiorre.
The structure of the original home remains, facing the street. Photo – Tasha Tylee. Styling – Tatjana Melchiorre.
The dramatic vaulted ceiling in the kitchen, dining and living space references the exposed rafters in the original home. Slab End Dining Table and Wishbone Chairs by Mark Tuckey. IXIA Vase by Hattie Molloy. Photo – Tasha Tylee. Styling – Tatjana Melchiorre.
Inside A Striking Mornington Peninsula Beach House Transformation
Set behind sculptural and wiry Moonah trees is this striking Mornington Peninsula home by Victoria Merrett Architects.
Through thoughtful and clever design, the once small, cabin-like beach house has been transformed into serene, architectural family home — without losing the cosy essence of the original abode.
The perfect spot for watching the sun rise over the ocean in the morning! Photo – Grace Picot.
The home receives an abundance of natural light. Photo – Grace Picot.
Incredible ocean views. Photo – Grace Picot.
Inside A Container-Style Beach House Perched Over Coastal Bushland
Thanks to its fantastic vantage point for checking local surf conditions, the owner of this coastal property was very familiar with the hilltop site before it even hit the market. So, when the land was eventually put up for sale, he knew it was the perfect location for his family’s dream home.
After purchasing the block in 2019, they engaged Incidental Architecture to design a modern container-style house with Japanese timber influences and stunning ocean views.
The finished product is a striking beach home that provides a calm space for a busy family to retreat to.
House in Narrawallee is a post-and-beam platform home perched on stilts. Photo – Cameron Deynzer.
Joyful yellow tiles and accents complement the refreshed cypress timber floors. Photo – Cameron Deynzer.
A new timber deck makes the most of treetop views. Photo – Cameron Deynzer.
A Revived Beachcomber, Where Every Room Plays With Colour
Colour has the power to impact your mood, thoughts and actions.
That’s why in the reinvention of this Sydney beachcomber-style home, Architect George leaned into a range of summery hues to bring a new, playful energy to the abode on New South Wales’ South Coast.
Now serving as a UK family’s idyllic Australian retreat, House in Narrawallee reveals a series of surprising spaces soaked in sunny yellows, natural greens, and coastal blues in celebration of its beachside location!
The nostalgic facade of Not A Motel by Pleyser Perkins. Photo – Tom Blachford.
This Palm Springs-Inspired Beach House Is What Retro Dreams Are Made Of
This beach house in the Mornington Peninsula is Not A Motel, but it does channel the look and feel of Palm Springs’ famous mid-century modern motels and architecture.
It’s also the name of the spectacular new project by Pleyser Perkins, who designed the property as a playful escape for a Melbourne family.
Complete with a central courtyard garden, a swimming pool, and a sunken lounge, the holiday home is what retro dreams are made of.
The front yard with moonah and tea trees. Photo – Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
Ellison Studio Muse Sofa. Artwork by Sophie Perez from Cook Street Collective. The Society Inc lantern from The Hub General Store. Photo – Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
TS Makers serving board. Artwork by Emily Raubenheimer. Photo – Eve Wilson. Editorial Styling – Annie Portelli.
The Sweetest Nostalgic Beach Shack On The Mornington Peninsula
Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is a beautiful part of the world, and it holds an extra special place in the hearts of Stuart and Chelsea Hall (who happens to be our Advertising and Partnerships Manager here at The Design Files!)
The couple first met in the area, and have been lucky enough to holiday here for many years at Stu’s parents’ beach house, before recently purchasing their own family shack in Blairgowrie.
The Halls are just the second owners of the 1979 property, which remains in almost entirely original condition, as evidenced by photos on the January 1980 cover of Home Beautiful magazine!
Chelsea, Stu and their two children Angus (8) and Evie (6) love the feeling of stepping back in time every time they visit their sweet timber shack, evoking memories of childhood school camps and summer holidays!
Dusty Miller House by Not All Architecture is a newly built beach house in Anglesea. Photo – Tom Ross.
A Multigenerational Beach House, Elevated Among The Treetops
Dusty Miller House by Not All Architecture is like a serene multigenerational treehouse, inspired by the beach houses of the past.
The new holiday home in Victoria’s Surf Coast mimics the structure of a house on stilts, creating an accessible second floor where the retired owners can age in place, and spaces below to host the younger generations of their family.
Indoor-outdoor spaces are woven throughout the floorplan, designed to be enjoyed by all ages, all year round.
Tobi-Ishi outdoor coffee table by B&B Italia from Space Furniture. Carlotta chairs and Cassina ottoman from Mobilia. Inout side table from Anibou. Crazy paving from Eco Outdoor. Landscape design, planters and pots from Florian Wild. Photo – Anson Smart. Styling – Joseph Gardener.
Neon sculpture by Nell (Station Gallery). Xenolith Table by Sanne Mestrom. Shearling ottoman by Stahl & Band. Photo – Anson Smart. Styling – Joseph Gardener.
Jade side table from Stahl + Band. Utrecht armchair by Cassina from Mobilia. Boalum lamp by Artemide from Stylecraft. Jindrich Halabala lounge chairs from Nicholas Alistair. BB Italia Cameleonda by Mario Bellini from Space Furniture. Akari 33 lamp from In Good Company. Artwork on wall by Stephen Ormandy (Olsen Gallery). Sculpture by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran (Sullivan+Strumpf). Sculpture by Nabilah Nordin (Neon Parc). Vase by Gaetano Pesce (506070). Sculpture by (Nell from Station Gallery). Vase by Lynda Draper (Sullivan+Strumpf). Photo – Anson Smart. Styling – Joseph Gardener.
New York Meets Sydney In This Wonderfully Eclectic Beachside Home
When David Flack was first engaged to redesign this Sydney home, it was a Hamptons-style abode — in other words, ‘the complete antithesis of Flack Studio‘.
They gutted the interiors and started again from scratch, drawing inspiration from the owner’s hometown of New York to create a vibrant family pad that blends the city’s ‘ballsy’ attitude with the gorgeous views of Tamarama beach.
The result is an inviting mash-up of colour, texture, and art, that’s a perfect reflection of the family that lives inside.