Next Generation
With half a century’s worth of family memories attached to the WA hamlet of Flinders Bay, a new holiday home ensures the story continues to unfold.
A much-loved holiday home on the WA coast is set up for long-term enjoyment.
The ocean is roaring, the sun is bright. Native gums frame views to Flinders Bay. For three generations, this idyllic outpost, four hours south of Perth, has been the M off at family’ s beach retreat. “My grandparents built the original home, a fibro shack, in 1968, so I’ve been lucky enough to be coming here my whole life,” says Jane Moffat, co-owner of Perth store Jordan Baker.
“By chance, my husband’s family also holidayed in Flinders from the 1970s, so we both had a deep understanding of how special this place is. We knew it was a tradition we wanted to keep in the family.”
The two-bedroom home was never going to accommodate a fourth generation, so when Jane and her husband, Tim Andrew, took ownership in 1999 they engaged architect Peter Moran to renovate. It became apparent it would be simpler to rebuild, but no one suspected it would take 12 years.
“It took the tender care of Peter and his associate Marisa Young, who became like part of the family, to make this house just right,” says Jane. “Flinders is a heritage area, which adds to the pride and camaraderie among residents, but also requires sensitivity. It didn’t help that we were doing everything remotely, and added four children to the mix.”
Tim and Jane lived in Sydney, New York and Hong Kong throughout the process, so Peter relied on two lever-arch folders filled with images Jane had compiled. “They had been living in New York and holidaying in the Hamptons, so their inspiration tended to reflect that time,” says Peter. The resulting three-storey property references the prewar character of the area, with the use of weatherboard and granite cut from the site.
Two minutes’ walk from the beach, the house is zoned to accommodate the free-form holiday traditions Jane and Tim hold dear. The
children are on the ground floor; living, kitchen and guestrooms on the first floor; with the top floor designed as a parents’ retreat. “Tim and Jane wanted this to be a house for friends and family, it had to be easy for all kinds of relaxation. The open-plan kitchen and living spaces bring people together yet there are multiple nooks for solitude,” says Peter.
From the outset, Jane had a clear vision for the interiors. “It had to be anall-whiteinterior,ablankcanvas,tomaketheoceanviewspop.Iadapted the look from the house we owned in East Hampton while living in New York. I was never worried about it being too clinical, as I knew how much colour I was bringing with furniture and fabric,” she says.
Jane enlisted interior designer Rebecca Warburton to help manage the project. “I would say my style is American with a twist. I have always loved spaces by Victoria Hagan, Steven Gambrel, Katie Ridder and Jonathan Adler, so I knew the look I was after, but I needed Rebecca’s help to bring it all to fruition. We were trying to finish the house from Hong Kong, so having her in Perth was invaluable,” says Jane.
In 2013 the family settled in Perth but spend as much time as they can at their beloved holiday home. “It is everything we hoped for and more. Having spent 20 years living overseas, we have friends far and wide, and Flinders enables us to bring mates together,” says Jane. # Peter Moran Architect, Cottesloe, WA; (08) 9384 5416 or www.pm-a.
com.au. Rebecca Warburton Interiors, Claremont, WA; 0408 118 110.