Creating a connection to the lush Noosa surrounds was the top priority in transforming this coastal abode

A smart revamp with a family-first focus has revitalised thist Noosa beach house

Bunked in together, flflopped around a giant sofa or swapping stories at the oversized dining table, summer days in this house are a shared experience. It’s just how former Melbournites Catherine, Hugh and their daughters like it. Their home, tucked up against Noosa’s national park and a short meander to the beach, has been revamped to bring the family together and in closer contact with their enviable surrounds. It’s thanks to local architect David Teeland of Teeland Architects, who further merged the beach house with its natural environment using local timbers in striking ways and kitted it out with furniture made predominantly by local artisans. Bring on the long, balmy days!

David, she’s a beauty now, but earlier? It wasn’t the most beautiful building by any stretch of the imagination – it was dark and dated – but it was a solid brick house. The main challenge however was that it wasn’t taking advantage of this beautiful site backing onto the national park. We carved out some new openings in the rear walls so the bedrooms and bathrooms would look onto serene, subtropical rainforest.

Catherine, what’s it like to bathe in the bush? It’s amazing! Even the children love it. We have a big tree out there that we put lights in and you just sit in the bath and it’s so beautiful and relaxing. We lived in the house unrenovated for a year and it had an outdoor shower and we loved it. That formed part of our brief to David and he did it perfectly.

David, the shower rains down on timber floors – how do they hold up? It’s a local hardwood, spotted gum, so it works really well in a subtropical environment and performs quite well when it gets wet. We have a stainless-steel shower tray beneath the hardwood flfloor, so all the water runs into it and that goes back into the plumbing system.

How have you designed this home with a ‘holiday house’ feel? This home has a bit of an informal, relaxed and low-maintenance vibe. We used robust materials that don’t need much upkeep.