Imagine your perfect coastal home. Chances are, you’re picturing those gorgeous Hamptons-style designs, expansive kitchens, and soothing beachy colour palettes.
If you’re dreaming of building your own slice of paradise, whether building in a new estate or going for a knockdown rebuild, here’s your go-to checklist to cover all the bases.
1. Choose a timeless facade
The exterior of your home creates a first impression, so you’ll want a coastal design that sets the tone and reflects your style and taste. Hamptons-inspired facades seem to be capturing the attention of many of today’s buyers, shares Robert Nguyen, senior designer at the ABN Group.
The Hamptons facade is a timeless classic and beloved across the country.
“The Hamptons style is traditional and coastal, but it is also quite a broad theme,” he shares. “There are many different versions of this style, and it has become very popular.”
Common features include white-washed timber and gabled roofs, but more modern interpretations have sleek lines and muted tones.
“We find that people are very happy to spend that extra money to get that Hamptons look, so Boutique Homes have developed a facade series that ranges from that cost-effective, simple Hamptons-style facade up to our Rhode Island facade, which is top end,” Nguyen says.
He adds that going premium means unique details that add “character and depth.”
On the Rhode Island facade, Nguyen says extra features include several iconic elements of the Hamptons style, such as double gables, a four-post veranda, French doors, gridded windows, a covered balcony with an extended roof, and painted mouldings alongside weatherboard cladding.
There are also the colours to consider.
“We are displaying in white with black windows and doors. But in the past, we’ve done Hamptons with greys or slightly bluish cladding on walls and then white windows. It’s just another touch that makes it personal,” he says.
2. A stunning kitchen
No coastal home is complete without a large, inviting kitchen. A centrepiece island bench and premium appliances are essential. But Nguyen says the best kitchens go above and beyond with unique details.
“It can be things like the cabinetry, classic shaker profile doors and drawers,” he shares. Other Hamptons-style extras that really make a coastal kitchen stand out are wood panelling on the breakfast bench cupboard, feature stone benchtops, beautiful brass fittings, and classic pendant lighting.
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The kitchen, being the heart of the home, is a key place to inject refined coastal style.
3. Plenty of natural light
Coastal homes are synonymous with light and airiness. Large windows, skylights, and glass doors are essential to flood the interior with natural light. Nguyen says window placement is vital for the atmosphere and sustainability: maximising light from the north and reducing the amount of glazing to the south to avoid wasted heat in winter.
He adds that Boutique Homes uses double glazing to reduce heat loss, coupled with wall insulation and zoned living to ensure spaces can be efficiently heated and cooled for maximum comfort while still having enough windows to flood the rooms with light.
That feeling of lightness and air is central to the coastal home style.
4. A unique design feature
Every dream home needs a standout feature that sets it apart. This could be a stunning fireplace with a stone mantle, a statement staircase, or an eye-catching art piece in a coastal-style home. Nguyen says these features create an “experience” for both visitors and owners.
“One of our designs has a staircase that opens into a void. It gives the centre of the house a lot of volume, which gives a feeling of openness and volume as you move through it” he says.
“We have another floor plan in our range, which has a void over the living area. It creates a larger, full-height space over the main living area, which is really popular.”
It pays to insert some design drama, which is made easy with the help of Boutique Home experts.
5. Indoor-outdoor living
A key feature of coastal living is the effortless blend of inside and outside environments. According to keyword searches for houses in realestate.com.au in 2023, an outdoor area was the fifth most popular request.
So, incorporating bi-fold or sliding glass doors that connect your living areas to the outdoors means you can fully embrace natural beauty.
Indoor outdoor flow is central to the way Australians want to live.
6. Continuity in design
A sense of flow throughout your home is vital to a cohesive coastal design. Nguyen says the inside should match the outside, or it can feel “jarring.”
This means that for a Hamptons-style home, you’ll want a floorplan and interior design scheme that continues that timeless coastal vibe.
It’s also crucial to use a consistent colour palette and match decor. This uniformity creates a harmonious flow, connecting each room and enhancing the overall aesthetic.
Ensuring the style and theme are consistent throughout is key to nailing the coastal look.
To experience the charm of a coastal vibe, visit Boutique Homes’ new knockdown rebuild display at 62 Jasper Road, Bentleigh.
It showcases the grand Toorak home design with the stunning new Rhode Island façade.
