LA VIE EN ROSE

Poised above Pittwater in Sydney's north, this weekender is alluringly relaxed - and offers holiday fun for family and friends.

- CHRIS PEARSON

Pretty in pink and a little playful – and perhaps channelling modern-day Barbie – that could neatly sum up this tri-level beach house hugging frangipani and palm tree-clad slopes above Pittwater, NSW. In its colour and design cues, it instantly whisks its owners to exotic getaways such as the Italian Riviera, Palm Springs and even the Kennedy compound in Cape Cod.

But when interior designer Marco Meneguzzi first sighted the property back in 2020, the white weatherboard on the site was unprepossessing and transported them nowhere special. Its modest floor plan squandered the spectacular site tumbling down to the water’s edge. Although it had its charms, it was too small for owner Irene Deutsch and her husband, together with their blended family of five children who regularly visit. And it wasn’t geared to entertaining – with one notable exception, its alluring boathouse and pool with Pittwater lapping their foundations. “It was a classic little beach house, with two bedrooms,” says Irene. “But what a location, right on the water. And that view!”