SUNSHINE DAYS

A LIGHT AND LOVELY MODERN HOME ON VICTORIA’S MORNINGTON PENINSULA BRINGS JOY TO THIS COUPLE AND THEIR THREE YOUNG DAUGHTERS

- JULIA GREEN

Under soaring cathedral ceilings, three young children host playful indoor running races. Beautiful European oak flooring, on any given day, becomes a family dance floor, and a resort-like outdoor zone is a favourite spot for treasured quality time. Quite simply, this home was designed with family in mind. “We wanted it to be a kids’ paradise,” says Hannah of the home on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula she and her husband Taylor created for their family of five, which includes daughters Zahli, four, Layla, two, and baby Leni.

After buying the seaside property at auction in what Hannah describes as a “dream location”, the couple knew immediately that a knock-down of the existing residence was needed to achieve their vision of something with plenty of room for their children to grow and play. “We wanted a house that didn’t appear large from the street, and we wanted to make the most of the sloping block,” says Hannah. She and Taylor took on the role of owner-builder and worked with BD Building Design and Beach End Built to bring their ideas for the split-level beachside escape to life.