CABIN CREW
A creative couple makes a tree change with a difference, building a ‘bush retreat’ in a city suburb with a ton of design savvy and new baby daughter in tow
A growing family gets a two-for-one deal on Sydney’s northern beaches, designing a mid-century-style second home at the back of an idyllic bush block
Sliding doors create a seamless flow between the house and deck. Leather-trimmed butterfly chair, Muumuu Design. Pot and cactus, The Pot Warehouse. Sofa, Freedom.
(opposite) The house is constructed from FSC merbau with cedar windows, doors and trims. It has a Shadowclad plywood skin, painted Dulux Domino.
The table and timber chair in this space are from Organic Modernism. Bowl, Dinosaur Designs. Among the diverse artworks are a woman’s face on silk by Gabriella Hirst, a school friend of Ava’s; a still life Ava drew at eight; and prints sourced on a trip to Cuba.
(opposite) Ava, Michael and baby Una.
Those who know Ava Shirley and Michael Hilton agree on one thing: the couple know how to make beautiful houses, and babies. Back in 2015, well before the latter was born, the pair was making the move back to Sydney after a stint in Newcastle, where Ava had been completing a master’s degree. They had already cut their teeth on the renovation of a weatherboard cottage in Islington and now, back in their home town, they were hungry for another project.
“Whatever we bought, we wanted to capitalise on our skills as architect and builder,” says Ava. As ‘chief financial controller’, Michael realised they could better afford a mortgage on a house than an apartment – as long as they could build a secondary dwelling and rent out the main home to supplement the repayments. Finding a site that could hold a second house narrowed the search considerably, and the pair quickly came across a property on a large, steep block in North Manly. The house was completely disconnected from the upper portion of the site (a downside for many), but the couple saw a dream opportunity. The second garden area even had rear-lane access, making it the perfect site for another home and carport.
The rear portion of the block was terraced over two levels, so Ava and Michael worked with it to design what they affectionately dub their ‘granny flat’. Two large angophoras or Sydney red gums provided a beautiful canopy under which to site their new 60-square-metre home and helped inspire some ideas for the design. “We were immediately drawn to the trees and took a lot of inspiration for the house from them,” Ava explains.
The pouredconcrete floor is sleek and practical, its darker tone created by adding black oxide. Orangered Eames chairs, Herman Miller. Rug, Ikea. Icon tapware in Aged Brass, Astra Walker. To the right is the nursery, screened by a door painted Dulux Battle Dress.