Beach garden

When contemplating the best design for this holiday home perched on the end of a peninsula, it would have been hard to ignore the sea gently lapping up against three sides of the property.

Owner Bill Sharpe had enjoyed a long association with the site of his new holiday home on the shores of the Coral Sea. Developed in the 1960s and known as the Mandalay Coral Gardens, it had been a tourist attraction where visitors could see coral growing in ponds dotted around the waterline. Over the years, various family members had stayed there or worked in the Gardens.

"Standing on the land was like being in a boat, and we wanted our design to capture this nautical feeling," says Sharpe.

"From above, the house looks like a set of curved sails. Columns around the edge of the house were moulded into an aerofoil shape to represent the masts of a ship," he says.

The free-form shape of the house folds into the land, with the result that it blends naturally with the site.

Between the house and the sea, a 40m swimming pool wraps around the outer edge of the terrace and living areas. From inside the house, the infinity-edge pool and the sea appear to flow together.

The swimming pool includes two beaches with white sand, and a bar with a built-in refrigerator. The overhanging roof provides shelter from direct sun and rain, even for the bar stools in the water.

The design also takes account of the tropical climate. Glass doors along the entire water frontage of the house slide open and stack, creating a 40m opening between the kitchen and living areas, and the terrace and pool.

Large eaves, created by extending the roof out over the pool, help to keep the house cool and shaded during the heat of the day. To protect the living areas and verandas from the western sun or for extra privacy, louvres recessed into the outer edge of the overhang can be lowered by electronic control.

Inside the house, air conditioning is concealed behind an American white oak grille that follows a curved bulkhead.

Furnishings and art add colour to the contemporary interior design, which features white-painted walls and white polished porcelain floor tiles. The floor tiles extend from inside to the terrace.

As well as formal and informal living spaces, the house also has four bedrooms, a cinema, a caterer's kitchen and wine cellar. A helipad, gymnasium, office and guest house are also part of the property and ten metres from the living area is a 24m deepwater berth.

Story by: Trendsideas