Central Coast Beach House

Caterina and Vittorio wanted a place where they could escape from their busy lives and enjoy spending time with their family in a relaxed environment. They bought a house that was not much more than a run down shack, but there was no denying its amazing location, just metres from the sand and surf of Wamberal beach.

Rather than choosing to knock down the existing house and build a modern beachside mansion, Caterina and Vittorio wanted to renovate the house whilst maintaining, and even enhancing, its weathered rustic character. Muted colours, a country style kitchen, an open fireplace…all these would provide a sense of quiet and comfort, creating a real refuge from the chaos of the city.

As a restaurateur, Caterina spends a lot of time cooking, and wanted the kitchen to be a major focus of the house. PWA created a kitchen and living space where the extended family could come together and enjoy each other’s company, soaking up the delicious aromas being created in the kitchen, naturally equipped with a commercial grade cook-top and oven.

The landscaping of the property aimed to create a sanctuary within the lee of the primary beach dune. The beach house’s garden needed to be able to survive and thrive in the hostile salt winds of the coastal environment, and also in the overshadowing of neighbouring units. Careful selection of hardy native planting produces a series of garden spaces arranged to give intimacy, screen traffic and neighbouring buildings, and create sunny, open usable spaces. Several rainwater tanks were installed for irrigation.

Modern comforts such air conditioning were eschewed in favor of natural ventilation, helping to make this house as environmentally friendly as possible. To compensate for the east/west orientation of the habitable spaces, a deep covered verandah on both aspects blurs the transition from interior spaces to the outdoors, providing shelter not only from the low morning and afternoon sun, but also the strong ocean breezes.

PWA helped Caterina and Vittorio create their perfect holiday retreat, which satisfies their needs and responds appropriately to its beachfront location.