Here comes the sun

A weekender on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula makes way for a contemporary yet relaxed family beach retreat with a hint of retro cool.

- STORY Chris Pearson | PHOTOGRAPHY Nikole Ramsay

“I hadn't considered rendered-brick walls, but I said 'go for it', and I am thrilled with the results.” NICOLE, OWNER

Forget formality - a simple sliding glass door, usually open, welcomes visitors to owner Nicole’s coastal retreat in Victoria. She kicks off her shoes with friends and family, keen to share some barefoot bliss in this contemporary take on the classic beach house.

Nicole bought the property in 2020, having rented the former weekender on the site for the previous three years. A stone’s throw from the beach, a stroll to town and set well back from the street, the location ticked all the boxes but the house was deficient for her, her two sons, now 22 and 21, and daughter, now 15. Most notably, it lacked a garage, with nowhere to store a jet scooter “and all the other recreational stuff you need at a beach house”. So she brought in the bulldozer and started afresh.