COASTAL DREAM
ADAM AND DANIELLE EURELL CREATED THE ULTIMATE FAMILY ESCAPE AT THIS COPACABANA BEACH HOUSE.
The Eurell family stripped this Copacabana beach house back to its bare bones and rebuilt the coastal holiday home of their dreams.
WHEN LONGTIME AVOCA BEACH LOCALS Danielle and Adam Eurell were searching for an investment property, the vibrant beachside towns of the NSW Central Coast seemed the ideal place to look. What they hadn’t expected to find was their dream family retreat — a clifftop abode in Copacabana, about 10 minutes’ drive south of their Avoca home. “We got a little sidetracked from our plan,” says Danielle, who, along with husband Adam and daughters Ashleigh, 13, Olivia, 12, and Charlee, eight, now shares her time between the neighbouring villages. “It’s a great growing area that offers a lot in terms of both adventure and relaxation,” says Danielle of the area, which is about an hour and half north of Sydney by car. “There are lots of cool cafes popping up.” Sandwiched between Avoca and Macmasters beaches, and sitting atop a grassy hill with views of the coastal fringe all the way to Sydney, the serenity of the property made it too hard for Danielle and Adam to resist keeping the home as their very own weekender. “A 300-metre stroll takes us down to a patrolled beach and a beautiful rock pool that the girls love to visit,” says Danielle. The couple’s original plan was to knock down and rebuild their place in Avoca, where they have lived for 18 years, and get an investment property to rent. However, after speaking to an architect about designing the perfect family home, a long-term work project took Adam to Tamworth for three years and the build was postponed. It was during this time, in August 2015, that they stumbled across the house in Copacabana. “When we first saw it, we loved the location and thought the house had unique bones, it just needed to be brought back to life,” says Danielle. Designed in the late 1970s, the building was run-down and needed work, and a timeline of just a few months soon turned into an 18-month project. “There was a lot of stopping and starting during the renovation, which gave it time to evolve,” says Danielle. “I think you get the best from a renovation when you’re patient and let things unfold.”
The couple replaced the gutters, skylights, roof, both bathrooms and the kitchen, starting over with the building’s four original besser block columns as well as pine flooring and walls. “We went right back to the bare bones, which wasn’t the originally planned scope of works!” says Danielle. Taking a simple approach to the renovation, Danielle and Adam wanted to create a modern and timeless beach house without detracting from the home’s 1970s character. The couple had a head start when it came to reimagining the tired space — Adam has had his own landscaping company for 20 years and together they’ve enjoyed seeking out stylish accommodation for family holidays over the years. “We’ve had the opportunity to see some amazing homes, which has given us a passion for architecture,” says Danielle. Bringing in materials typically used for exteriors such as concrete, steel, brass mesh and exposed timbers meant a wide range of tones and textures fill the home’s interior. The living area is a favourite spot to sit and relax over the cooler months. “Being floor-to-ceiling glass, it’s like a sunroom in winter,” says Danielle. “You feel so cosy and warm.” The large windows are also perfect for whale watching during their migration along the east coast from May to November. “We had our first sighting recently,” says Danielle, who spotted a passing whale from the breakfast bar. The ocean can be seen from every room in the house, says Danielle, who considered the changing light and views when selecting the furnishings. “I wanted things that could be dragged around to sit and chat or turned to face the ocean,” says Danielle. “I didn’t want a piece of furniture you couldn’t move.” Two queen beds and a bunk bed on the bottom level, as well as a loft, mean there’s ample space to host friends. While the property is designed to be enjoyed in all seasons, the wood-burning fireplace is undoubtedly the heart of the home over winter, where the family gathers to read and play board games. The couple wanted their time spent in the house to be enjoyed without modern distractions. “I want the girls to have traditional good times here rather than be sitting in front of a screen,” says Danielle. A much-loved feature of the home is its seamless indoor to outdoor transition, which the family makes the most of when friends are visiting. “The other night we were out on the deck with the fire pit going, and just threw some cushions around,” Danielle recalls fondly. “We had mulled wine and cooked haloumi and olives on the grill while the girls played pétanque on the lawn… it was just magic.”