whitewood

BELONGIL HOUSE

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Residential Home

Byron Bay, NSW

Design | Documentation | Procurement | Project & Construction Management

With an expanding family, the owners of Belongil House needed to create more flexibility and more usable areas despite the limited amount of space. Whitewood responded by completely reconfiguring the interiors and connecting inside and out. 

Positioned in the beautiful surrounds of Belongil Beach, Byron Bay, whitewood worked with the clients of this home to really take advantage of the whole property. A key desire of the brief was to create more usable space, in particular incorporating an outdoor area.

Desiring a home that feels spacious and expansive, flowing seamlessly from outside to inside, a front and a rear deck has been added. This adds a range of functions, from providing extra usable floor area, to also allowing for the cross ventilation of winds coming from the beach to flow through the house.

By having new outdoor spaces on either end of the house, they can now be utilised at different times of the day to great effect and depending on the weather. 

The new back deck faces west, meaning the pool and outdoor area are now drenched in afternoon sun. Afternoons can now be enjoyed with lots of natural light and views, with sunsets over the trees. 

The new outdoor area features a fireplace next to the BBQ, while the deck steps straight down into the pool. It offers a seamless flow between inside and out, allowing the owners to easily entertain. Other considerations that ensure easy entertaining can be seen in the way the kitchen extends out to the outdoor BBQ. Flowing from a pocket sliding door, the kitchen opens up to the rear deck, making outdoor living simple.

A welcoming feeling is reinforced through the use of a blackbutt timber, finished with a natural oil that will subtly grey over time, which was also selected for its minimal maintenance.

On the interiors, the home has been completely reworked. The original space was not well resolved in terms of the location of rooms and even the overall orientation. The Belongil House is now big, open and flexible, with areas that are utilised and no wasted space.

A simple but functional kitchen now has lots of added storage. Storage was an important inclusion on the brief and has been added in several areas including a deep built-in cabinetry, pantry and window seat. Another built-in unit has been added in the dining room. Being a small space, everything has been carefully designed to maximise storage potential, which also ensures tidiness. There is a space for everything at Belongil House. 

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Overall the aesthetic at Belongil House expresses a minimal, coastal vibe with crisp whites and a natural, muted palette contrasted with strong black elements. The floors are now a whitewashed engineered oak by Havwoods, and the whole exterior and interior have been repainted to bring a layer of freshness. 

Other standout details include a custom front door, made in Victorian Ash with an unexpected black-stained door handle – alluding to a hint of what is inside.

Whitewood’s renovation on Belongil House shows just how much light, space and storage can be added through clever design.

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Client - Belongil Home Owners

Photography - Kate Holmes photography