Friday 31 August 2012


SOUTH COAST BEACH HOUSE


                 3 hours from Sydney, and 2 hours from our
farm is a beautiful beach called Narrawallee
Beach. It is quieter than the nearby and
popular Mollymook Beach. Narrawallee
beach is what I can only describe as a 'cosy'
beach. This sheltered bay provides the
quintessential beach for family holidays.
Wide and level, it has lots of rock-pools for
the children and life-guard protection during
the holidays. There is a good walk down to
the other end of the beach with not a house
in sight.

During our first visit to this little town we
were lucky enough to discover an old
house, overlooking the beach, built in the
1950's and needing renovation. The solid
rectangular face-brick building, with ugly
windows and rotting timber-work was just
crying out for a make-over. The size and
structure was excellent. It called for new
windows and doors and a complete internal
refurbishment.

I still have very fond, perhaps sentimental
and old fashioned, memories of holidaying
in my Grand-Parent's beach house as
a small girl. This is the atmosphere I
envisioned for this house. A holiday house
full of nostalgia, filled with furniture and
objects which could provide memories for
my grand-children and their children one
day.

Here are photographs of the original house
and a couple of 'during' photos and the final
result. The house has six bedrooms and six
bathrooms... a great family beach house.
Having already had one family holiday, it
was voted a great success!
Most of these photos were taken very recently during our winter.  I will re-post more in the summer! There are still many blank walls and empty shelves,  but all of this will change over time.

The house before we started renovating


The new entrance

The original deck...

The new deck


The dilapidated side view

The same elevation much improved
The living room in the final stages of completion
The living room completed - taken at Christmas



The living room in the late afternoon light

We bought mostly second-hand furniture which I had recovered.. and below a couple of examples.


The wing back chair looking very smart in the striped fabric.
Two of these adorable tub chairs which swivel... much to the delight of the grandchildren!

The two swivel chairs now in blue and white



The Sunroom before

and after
The kitchen with butler's pantry behind.








The Powder room



The Six bedrooms are in different colours  - red, blue, yellow, green, neutral and the floral above for the master suite.






The downstairs TV/playroom


Bunny and Penny love the beach house and spending time with the babies!

The pool area taken on a winter's day
The outdoor oven
A windy winter's day on the beach

Evening light




5 comments:

  1. Beautiful decorating right through the house and outdoor areas. Really amazing to see the exact before and after shots - such vision you have to imagine the end result. Really enjoyed this post! x

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  2. Thank you so much! Looking forward to posting summertime photos! Jenny

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  3. Jenny! I am gobsmacked! Can I say that word? I have never used it before but it is the first thing that came to mind when I looked at all your photos. I think it means speechless? Absolutely stunning...I just love every room. It seems to me you just wintered (summered) in France and now you are off to the beach back in Oz...I love the way you live life Jennny! Thanks so much for your lovely comment...always happy when you stop by. Do you mind if I share this post on my blog? Just love it all!
    Jeanne xx

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  4. Thank you Jeanne... We are actually in Cape Town at the moment... will post a couple of blogs from here too probably xoxox

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  5. Hi Jenny, absolutely love the way you have documented the before and after pics because this is one of the most amazing transformations. You have a special vision for walking into a house and seeing it for where it will be after you wave your magical interior wand (where can I find this by the way?!) I look forward to seeing how the space evolves again as it swells with all the family over the summer.

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