SEASIDE SANCTUARY

THIS HEAVENLY COASTAL ABODE IS ENJOYING A STYLISH NEW CHAPTER AS AN IDYLLIC GETAWAY FOR A SYDNEY FAMILY

- JACKIE BRYGEL

Nestled into a cliff with breathtaking views stretching out across the sparkling Northern Beaches coastline is this stunning weekender belonging to Nancy and her husband Chris, who live here with their three children, Hana, 12, Lily, 10, and Sebastian, five. For Nancy, the spell was cast before she even had the opportunity to step through the front door.

“I knew we were going to buy the house, though I was yet to see it in real life,” she recalls. “It was like magic,” she adds with a smile. “I’m always keeping watch of real estate, and we had been looking in the area for about 18 months. When this one came up online, I said ‘Finally, we’ve found the house we’ve been waiting for’.”

And Nancy had every reason to trust her instincts, with her first walk-through of the home meeting all of her expectations. “It was everything I knew it would be,” she says. “There were no surprises.”

Built in 1997, the two-level home had been enjoyed and carefully maintained by the one multi-generational family for almost 25 years.

“The house was loved to bits,” shares Nancy, “and I could instantly see that was the case. As soon as I walked in, I could feel the spirit of the house – the love and care that its previous owners had given the house. It was also built to last with strong foundations and excellent bones.”

To Nancy and Chris, the home – featuring a sumptuous main suite as well as the core living-entertaining areas on the ground level, plus additional bedrooms and a second living space on the lower level – required no structural alterations.