Thinking about renovating or building your dream Hamptons home? Natalee Bowen of Indah Island shares what she learned from her personal Hamptons-inspired journey.
When we renovated our own home, it was fantastic to be creative and to be part of the process from design to completion. Our house was a 20-year-old home that was fairly run down; I’d say it was a ‘worst house best street’ situation. It had moss green walls, an apricot lounge and wrought iron staircase—definitely not the [Hamptons look] my family wanted!( https://www.jameshardie.com.au/hamptons-look)
We have done two renovations on this home—the first we did before we moved in, in eight weeks!! We guttered, moved walls, redid flooring and cabinetry, painted internal and external and added bifolds to take advantage of the marina view.
Our second and most recent renovation saw us add a pool, alfresco area, beautiful detailed balustrade works and re-deck the levelled area. It was an involved process, but that being said the results were amazing!! I always promise my clients that they’ll be ‘wowed’ by the final results, and my experience was no different.
When we did the second renovation, one thing I wanted to do was really give the home a Hamptons facelift and transform the external part of the building. For this, we chose a classic weatherboard look.
“The best part was having a vision for my dream home and being able to bring it to life!”
Being on the marina overlooking the water, we needed to create the look using a material that was resistant to the harsher coastal elements, like moisture. We used Linea™ weatherboards. Easy to install over existing brick and easy to paint, it was the perfect option for bringing my Hamptons vision to life! The weatherboard look totally transformed the home. Most of the houses around us are finished in a render look—our home stands out so much that people drive by and comment on how beautiful our home is!!! It’s a fabulous feeling knowing that people love our home as much as we do!
Our renovated house is all about open living, bringing the outside in through the use of natural fibres in rugs, as well as plants such as pinnate palms and orchids. We have multiple areas to entertain that ooze informal elegance. It’s a true Hamptons home.