MOOD BOOST

A colourful palette and quirky custom designs put a playful vintage spin on this Byron Bay holiday house providing the Melbourne owners with a great escape.

- JUDY PASCOE 

Peripatetic interior designer Jase Sullivan puts his frequent travels to good use, finding inspiration everywhere he goes. When he was approached to redesign this Byron Bay house his thoughts immediately turned to his recent holiday in Porto Rafael in Sardinia where he was inspired by the 60s architecture of Michele Busiri Vici.

Referencing the central courtyards and arches as well as the white render of Vici's designs Jase set to work to recreate a Mediterranean-style villa at Clarkes Beach. For the Melbournebased owners this was to be a glorious escape to a lifestyle revolving around the sun and sea. A recently wed couple their family includes adult offspring who would also be using the house.

With a very private location and a short distance to the Byron village, the four-bedroom house dates from the 70s and had undergone several renovations in a mid-century modern style that the owners did not favour. They had already begun a part renovation but were uncertain of a design direction. When Jase came on board he quickly devised a plan to knock down walls, reorganise the layout and create a central courtyard that would be the focal point of the house. "It was a much bigger renovation than the owners had imagined but they loved the ideas," he says.

The dated aluminium windows and doors were replaced with black-steel-framed versions and the existing concrete floors were topped with oak for a warmer feeling. Internal walls and ceilings were coated with tadelakt and the bedrooms enlivened with quirky wallpapers and textiles and detailed joinery. In the hallway he added a stacked stone feature wall that is reminiscent of similar designs from the 60s.