Creating the perfect barefoot beach house
Owner, builder Saul Meyers had a vision for the coastal home that he wanted to build for himself and his son, Brooklyn. A home that was playful yet relaxed and that felt just like home.
One of the first things that the Home Beautiful team and interiors expert, Wendy Moore, worked on with Saul were a couple of beautiful mood boards. In Wendy’s numerous years of interiors experience, she believes that “the mood board, is the one tool, that has stood the test of time”
“It’s a great dashboard that you can keep coming back to time and time again to keep you on track.” In the Home Beautiful Beach House transformation, a detailed mood board helped refine Saul’s vision for his coastal home and streamlined the whole renovation process.
As with any renovation or home project, it is crucial to have a clear vision, plus “it’s a good way to communicate what you want with the rest of the team.”
Saul’s mood boards reflected five key themes that helped the Home Beautiful team bring casual beach house chic into every room.
- Natural warmth
Saul’s secluded block is hidden amongst the gumtrees just 90 minutes north of Sydney and is a stone's throw away from North Avoca beach. It was important to Saul to create a warm and welcoming home for Brooklyn and that used an abundance of natural light but also used warm light fittings. For the Home Beautiful team, this translated into wide, bifold doors and large glass doors.
- Barefoot luxury
Finding the right flooring helps to make the rest of your styling decisions a whole lot easier. Using a combination of both soft and hard flooring was the perfect starting point for the “barefoot luxury” feel of this North Avoca home.
Saul was after surfaces that would hide sandy toes but were also soft and luxurious underfoot. Together with the Home Beautiful team, he chose Carpet Court's Premium Oak Floorboards for the larger open plan spaces with a brushed and textured matt surface, which is low-maintenance and coastal without skimping on luxury, it matched the beachy vibe perfectly.
In the kids’ bedrooms and the sunken living area, the team used Carpet Court’s Natural Formations Wool Carpet in a loop pile to create an intimate, cosy feel. In Saul’s bedroom they used Carpet Court’s Hawksview, a luxurious textured carpet with a chunky loop pile. Using a combination of floorboards and carpet was a kid and beach friendly solution that was the epitome of barefoot luxury, crafting the perfect base for the rest of the home.
- Layered up
The emphasis on layers of texture within Saul’s beach shack was the perfect addition to the coastal theme. From Morrocan prints to natural woods to woven baskets and leather, the team were able to bring his mood board to life with the little touches. Constantly referring back to Saul’s mood board made selecting inspired decor, artwork and textiles an easy choice.
- Palette
In keeping with the beachy-theme, the team agreed on a simple colour palette. From evergreen hues to cool beiges and coastal blues, the colour palette on Saul’s mood board was the Home Beautiful teams constant guide throughout the entire renovation. It helped narrow down the sometimes overwhelming paint, tile and flooring options and infinite combinations that were available, saving not only time but a whole lot of stress!
- Uniquely Australian
Saul’s mood boards inspired the team to create a true blue Australian holiday home. The new open plan living area flows out onto the generous deck and outdoor entertaining area boasting spectacular views and the coastal colour palette and decor is uniquely Australian. The whole home incorporates nature in a way that it makes you feel like you’re a part of it.
