Articles, New Builds
Dream Homes: Industrial Chic on Queensland’s Bundaberg Coastline
THE MODERN LOOK
A dream home can encapsulate many things for different people. For Natalie and Darren Hunt, their dream home was a modern industrial design overlooking Queensland’s Bundaberg coastline, a dream they achieved with the help of outstanding building materials.
A FOREVER FAMILY HOME
As a residential builder himself, Darren and his wife Natalie had always envisioned designing and building their forever family home to share with their two kids. When they spotted a darling cottage just a stone’s throw away from the ocean along Woongarra Scenic Drive in Bargara, they knew they had found the ideal location to lay down roots and mingle their love of the sea with their love of modern designs.
After four years of planning and one year of building, Darren and Natalie’s dream home came to life. A marvel of modern industrial design, their two-storey family home is not only pleasing on the eye but also an impressive showcase of how advanced building materials can be used to endure harsh weather conditions without sacrificing on style.
COASTAL MEETS INDUSTRIAL
North Queensland’s climate can be harsh at the best of times, so building a durable home on the doorstep of the ocean makes strong winds and salt corrosion your biggest liabilities. For Darren, with his experiences building in the area as well as his knowledge of advancements in building materials and design trends, choosing Axon Cladding for this build was an easy choice.
Designed to create a strong visual impact with dramatic line and form, Axon Cladding produced that modern and industrial look that Darren and Natalie were aiming for, as well as safeguarding their family home from coastal conditions.
“We wanted to create a strong visual impact that provided contrast, but still had the industrial style we had our hearts set on”, explains Darren. “We both love textures and wanted different materials to achieve the modern look and feel – Axon Cladding by Scyon Walls was the perfect choice to accomplish this.”
MIXING MODERN MATERIALS
When constructing a home in a coastal climate, choosing the right materials is a critical part of the design process, especially if you have your heart set on a specific design theme. For Darren and Natalie, their vision of creating a modern statement home with industrial and commercial undertones, but also one that would fit in with the surrounding landscape and be able to weather extreme coastal conditions was the ultimate challenge.
The cement composite technology of the Axon Cladding makes it the perfect match for harsh weather conditions including salt corrosion and strong winds, giving Darren and Natalie extra peace of mind living so close to the ocean.
“We wanted to live as close as we could to the ocean. Choosing Axon means that our home will retain its good looks for longer” – Darren Hunt
To complement the Axon cladding and HardieFlex sheet, Darren and Natalie incorporated Axent trim for edge treatments and finishes in harmonising colours. These additions gave Darren and Natalie an opportunity to play around with complementary colours, layering of textures and adding an extra layer of protection and exterior appeal to the house.
> “Layering of textures and mixing external materials like cladding will create a modern, unique look and when combined with colour choices – the result will be the ultimate individual statement,” says Darren.
HOME SWEET HOME
What started out as a humble sketch of an idyllic home has transformed into a contemporary family design that still garners admiration and interest from the community and passers-by.
> “There’s always someone having a look, and it makes you feel like what you’ve done is something different and they appreciate it” – Natalie Hunt
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