AT HOME WITH DEBORAH HUTTON
The former model tells Bronwyn Phillips how, with no renovation experience, she took on a major building project – and created her forever home.
When Deborah Hutton rst saw the home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs with sweeping views down to the beach she immediately knew she’d found it, the forever home she’d been searching for. She also knew the roof had to come off. Initially, Deborah hadn’t planned a complete rebuild, but the project evolved into something bigger. “It’s like an onion, once you start peeling layers away you think, ‘oh it looks so much better under here, it’s so much nicer’,” she says, laughing.
Originally built in the 1920s, the single-storey cottage was renovated into a two-storey family home with four bedrooms and a study in 2010. “It was very liveable, it had a great kitchen,” says Deborah. “They had done a pretty good renovation.” Friends couldn’t understand why Deborah wanted to do anything at all to the house. “But I said, ‘you just wait till I’m nished’,” she says.
The former model and TV personality had never taken on a building project of this scale before. “I’d renovated a bathroom,” she says, “basically chosen some tiles and a tap.” Deborah started a website and YouTube channel, Renovation Rookie, to chart the progress of her house. “I thought there’s probably a lot of people like me who’ve never done anything on this scale before,” she says. “We can record the entire renovation from the demolition right up to the nal result.
“I’m taking people through the challenges, the ups and downs, and visually connecting them with the build through social media and the website.” Deborah also speaks to experts about managing the entire process. “I may be a rookie now, but I won’t be by the time the renovation is nished,” she says.
Nine months and two architects later we’re sitting in the light- lled living room of Deborah’s completed home. Drawing inspiration from many sources, the house has a quintessential beach house vibe. “I had a house at Pearl Beach for many years with a big replace, and I wanted to replicate that,” says Deborah. The balustrade is reminiscent of the colonial houses of St Barts, the weatherboard recalls the Hamptons, and the timber details evoke the elegant Queenslanders of Deborah’s childhood.
The house is a success beyond Deborah’s expectations. “There’s
nothing about it I would change,” she says. Upstairs, the open plan living area with exposed rafted ceiling is on a massive scale, but is not imposing. “It has distinct areas,” says Deborah, indicating the couches in front of the three-metre replace, the breakfast nook off the kitchen bench and the dining table and chairs beside the stairwell. “It feels like one big room but is actually quite cosy.”
Despite the openness, the house has some delightful surprises. Behind the timber wall panelling are hidden a walk-in pantry, powder-room and a temperature controlled walk-in wine room for Deborah’s extensive wine collection.
“It has a lot of unexpected elements,” she says. “Hidden, secret places.” Downstairs in the bedroom a large mirror re ects the ocean. It slides across to reveal a generous walk-in wardrobe. “You don’t know it’s there. It adds a quirkiness to the house.”
Another surprise is the media/guest room. “It’s so much better than I thought it would be,” she says. “It’s now one of my favourite rooms.”
In a break from her preferred neutral and muted palette, the guest room is a deep blue, with bookshelves, a replace, caeserstone bench and bar. “The rug went down, the artwork went up and I thought this is one of the best rooms I’ve ever sat in. It hugs you. It’s a great contrast to the rest of the house.”
Despite the stress, budget blowouts and all-consuming nature of her renovation, Deborah will miss the excitement of the build. “This is a project of the heart, I wanted to get every detail right,” she says, “At the end there’s an element of grief, because I loved the process so much and it’s over! I’ll even miss seeing the builders every day.”