Ultimate sanctuary

Doug and Kerri-Lee Macdonald wanted their dream home to be something that would remain forever stylish and enchanting — and it certainly exceeded expectations

INSPIRED by a romantic bush landscape, this Bonogin home will never go out of style, according to homeowners Doug and KerriLee Macdonald.

Prominent Gold Coast builder Doug and his talented interior-stylist wife Kerri-Lee teamed up to turn a sloping block at 25-27 Forest Ridge into something that would remain forever stylish and enchanting. The couple said their secret to a good design that didn’t age was to sit in a tree and get a birds eye view.

“We bought the land six years ago,” Mr MacDonald said.

“We had it for a year and constantly mulled over how we would build our dream home.

“I would come up to the block in the afternoons and sit in one of the trees on the property to get a feel for the landscape.”

The home was designed to maximise privacy while remaining an eye-catching spectacle. Armed with a specific set of plans and with the help of architect Jared Poole, the director from HA Building built his dream family home in 10 months using only raw materials and nature in mind. Poised on an elevated block, the 574sq m concrete and steel residence was inspired by native bushland.

Playing with colours and raw materials as well as taking ideas from indigenous flora and fauna, the couple wanted the home to become one with the land.

“Terri-Lee and I love acreage so we wanted to make the best use of the space,” he said.

“It is a very industrial design and the materials connect with the bush landscape.

“It is very open and light, and because it is a sloped block the home is on three levels. But it is still quite flat because of the split elevation.”

The frameless glass door entry opens with a touch of the keypad to reveal polished concrete floors, 4.5m ceilings and enormous glass windows that capture ocean and forest views.

“Concrete and timber doesn’t age. Trends in homes change all the time so we stuck to a style that wouldn’t go out of fashion,” Mr Macdonald said. “There are rust-style features which are actually just painted plastic to look authentic. It took me three months to paint the rusted iron style feature around the stairs but it is more sustainable and durable that way. We wanted something that would last, especially since we have four children.” Mr MacDonald said the property overlooked a nice sunset but he described the morning sunrise as magic.