Dream Home: How to Make the Hamptons Look Your Own

The Hamptons is more than a look, it’s just a lifestyle. Think laidback vibes, coastal breezes and lazy afternoons spent on the balcony with a good book. For Catherine and her husband William, their Hamptons dream became a reality when they stumbled across an old Queenslander in desperate need of a Hamptons facelift. Read their story below.

SEARCHING FOR THE DREAM

“My husband and I decided to build and design our own home after struggling to find a house in our area that we could call our ‘dream home.’

Our journey started on a Saturday morning when we drove past an old rundown Queenslander worker’s cottage. We bought it in 2014 and elevated and renovated it in 2015 which left us with a vacant block just behind to build on.

We did most of the design and layout ourselves before taking our plans to a draftsman to draw up. We mostly built the house too, working on it every spare moment we had for 6 months straight while we were still both working full time. We started the build in May 2016 and moved in 3 days before Christmas 2016, which was a huge effort! But we are over the moon with what we achieved.”

Catherine and her husband William stumbled across an old Queenslander in need of a makeover. What ensued was a 6-month journey to building their dream Hamptons home.

THE INSPIRATION

“I’ve always loved the look of cladded homes, so exterior cladding was a must! We wanted a more classic look for our home and something that would fit in with coastal environment. This meant that the coastal-Hamptons style really suited our brief.

I have had a long love affair with the classic Queenslander style and a bit of an obsession with house magazines so felt I really knew what I wanted the house to look and feel like. Our goal was really to take advantage of the bay views the site had to offer while building a classic Hamptons-style home that provided a shared space for the family to enjoy, but also gave our everyone the option of privacy as they got older.”

Catherine and William’s home is a mix of the classic Queenslander look and a coastal-Hamptons style. The result? An open plan home that works in harmony with their bayside suburb.

HAMPTONS DREAMING

“When we envisioned our dream Hamptons home, we envisioned large open spaces with lots of light. The home had to be orientated towards views of the bay. We wanted a clean, fresh twist on the Queenslander look with simple modern fretwork and balustrades.”

“We wanted a home that exuded a clean fresh feeling—a simple but classic look. The home had to be built for the Queensland climate with large airy spaces, lots of light and a real indoor/outdoor feel.”

“We absolutely love our home, we live in every part of it every day.”

GETTING THE HAMPTONS LOOK

“We both just love the clean and classic look of the Hamptons-style homes. I also think the Hamptons look is reflective of the Queenslanders we have in our area which we just adore.

When building our home, we pared back the materials and colours we used ensure the look was always going to be fresh and simple. We used a classic palette of black and white, with materials like fibre cement cladding, natural timber and stone. The design and layout of our home make it the perfect space for us to relax and enjoy time together as a family.”

Catherine and William chose materials like weatherboard-look cladding, timber and stone to create a simple yet fresh coastal-Hamptons look.

CHOOSING THE EXTERIOR MATERIALS

“Being the home owners and builders, we spent a lot of time finalising the look of the house in terms of what materials and colours we would use.

We got the weatherboard look using Scyon Linea™ weatherboards. It was perfect for giving the house a modern but clean and classic look. It also complements the Queenslander homes around us. The Linea weatherboards continue to provide a great level of insulation and keep the house cooler in summer and really warm in winter!

“We got the weatherboard look using Scyon Linea™ weatherboards. It was perfect for giving the house a modern but clean and classic look.”

DREAM HOME RESULTS

“We absolutely love our home, we live in every part of it every day. We get beautiful bay breezes almost all the time which is perfect for hot Brisbane summers.

I would say the look of our home sits beautifully in character with the Queenslander neighbourhood, but it stands out because it doesn’t replicate the old.

It’s a more modern Hamptons house finessed with classic styling that won’t date. It’s perfect for the hot Queensland summers and we love everything about it! There’s nothing like sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine and enjoying the bay views in the late afternoon.”

“We absolutely love our home! There’s nothing like sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine and enjoying the bay views in the late afternoon.”

MY TOP THREE TIPS FOR GETTING THE HAMPTONS LOOK IN AUSTRALIA:

• The key to our Hamptons home was reimagining the classic Queenslander style.
• Our home has a subtropical feel to it while still retaining the Hamptons features we love. It’s all about balance.
• You’ve got to think about the details. For example, the large wall mounted lanterns, cladding detail and a beautiful black entry door make the entrance warm and welcoming.