IN HARMONY

OVER THREE DECADES, THIS HOME IN THE SUNSHINE COAST HINTERLAND HAS EVOLVED WITH ITS OWNERS, REFLECTING THEIR LIFE’S WORK, TRAVELS AND PASSION FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING

- KYLIE JACKES

WARM & WELCOMING Much has changed in the 29 years since Chris and Bob built their home at Eumundi, 120 kilometers north of Brisbane, yet it has always stayed connected to nature and remains a mirror of the personalities of the people who live there. During a recent renovation, many elements were reinvented, such as the sofa in the sunroom, re-covered in Warwick ‘Maharaja’ fabric, while the bar was transformed with a feature wall in Rockcote’s ‘Marrakesh’ render, glazed for a marble effect. Naturally hued pieces from CLO Studios including cane chairs, a rug and timber bar stools increase the warmth, while on the wall, the fabric hanging has taken pride of place for decades. “It was commissioned by the Maharishi of Udaipur in Rajasthan to celebrate the birth of his first daughter,” says Chris. “I found it in an Indian store.” Beside it, flanking the doorway are “shark jaws of a white pointer caught in Queensland around 20 years ago”.

From the road, there’s no hint of Chris and Bob’s home, which greets you at the end of their long, tree-flanked driveway. When they bought the sprawling, five-hectare block at Eumundi in the Sunshine Coast hinterland nearly three decades ago, there was a single fig tree on the property. Yet over time, the land has been transformed – and, more recently, so has the three-bedroom house they built together.