Architect spotlights outdoors

Design elements have created a place where the homeowners feel as though they never really left the beach

IT all started when architect Shane Denman asked the homeowners of 20 Viking Court if they were outside or inside people.

When designing their three-level Paradise Waters house, he then managed to bring the outdoors in and capture Phil and Sue Howsons’ love for the water.

The couple said the architect had designed the home around their personalities.

“We live and breathe the outdoors,” Mrs Howson said. “We are always riding our bikes out to the seaway or walking to the beach.

“Every door opens out onto grass and the house has a number of water features. There is a water feature at the entrance which is designed to bring breezes inside the home.”

Mr Howson said it took a year to find the perfect location for building.

“We knocked the original house down and it took about a year and a half to build something we had been planning for a while,” he said.

“We were previously living in Brisbane but we always had a holiday home at Runaway Bay. Paradise Waters was a winner for us because it was close to a park, a walk to the beach and it was on a quiet cul de sac.”

The five-bedroom, five-bathroom home, which was built in 2008, has a contemporary style with elements of the Hamptons. Mrs Howson described it as being bright, airy and colourful. “The home is very neutral and has muted tones so our colourful interiors and paintings really make it pop,” she said.