A Wash With White

Practicality, calmness and an affinity for neutrals underpin the chic aesthetic of this coastal holiday house that offers a resort-style ambience for several generations of one family.

- Judy Pascoe

Cruising around the waterways of the New South Wales Central Coast it would be impossible not to notice this stylish pavilion-style home. With its pristine white facade, palm trees swaying in the breeze and an infinity pool lapping the water’s edge, it exudes a luxury resort vibe.

The owners consider themselves lucky to have found the property, having searched in vain for a holiday house from Palm Beach to the Southern Highlands. However, when a friend told them about a north-facing waterfront block of land at Wagstaffe, vacant except for a one-bedroom boatshed, the couple contacted the agent and the very day that they viewed the property they purchased it. That was in 2013 and they quickly engaged architect Dennis Rabinowitz, principal of JPR Architects, who has his own property nearby.

The brief was for a “Hamptons/Bahamas look, but it ended up being closer to the Bahamas”, says the owner. “We wanted a light, bright beach house that was relaxed and not precious, and that would also accommodate our children and grandchildren.”

Six years on, the family revels in the feeling of peace and calm that their house, Agave – winner of the 2018 HIA-CSR Australian House of the Year – engenders. With seven bedrooms and five bathrooms, it is certainly spacious, offering abundant room for four grandchildren who range in age from three to 12. “As soon as we arrive at the house we totally unwind and feel that we are really away from everything,” says the owner.