Sandy feet and wet towels are not much of a bother to the owners of this holiday home on Victoria's Surf Coast. "From the beginning they were adamant that nothing be too precious," says Georgina Jeffries, the interior designer tasked with renovating the house for a Melbourne family of five. "They're warm, lovely people who enjoy entertaining and who delight in having friends pile in to stay. One key request in their brief was 'we want to squeeze in as many people as possible'."
A couple with three young children. Interior design by Georgina Jeffries and renovation by Karacsay Constructions. Georginajeffries.com.au Karacsayconstructions.com.au @georgina_jeffries
So in March 2020 - just as Covid settled in for the long haul - Georgina started carrying out a mostly cosmetic update of what was at that point a tired home with an overgrown backyard. "The owners entrusted me completely," says the Lorne-based designer, "which is quite lucky considering that Melbourne was about to spend much of the year locked down."
Materials took longer to make it to site, trades proved tricky to secure and the owners weren't able to visit as work progressed - yet, despite this, Georgina was able to hand over keys to the completed four-bedroom house in December 2020.
She and her team managed the project from start to finish: informing the style, finishes and spatial planning with a view to updating both the ground and first floor, creating a larger downstairs bathroom, and putting in a new fireplace upstairs.
The end result is beachy and casual, with just the right amount of sophistication. That's in large part thanks to the use of a beautifully neutral palette punctuated with pops of green and blue. "When you reference the colours outside the window it's hard to grow wrong," says Georgina.
The living spaces are light and fitted out with low-slung furniture, the floors are a pale, beachy blonde and banks of elegant joinery provide plenty of storage. Guests are extremely well catered for, with inviting guest bedrooms, a bunk room and a bathroom that sports an expanded, open layout and playful touches. The end result is a holiday home that celebates the joy of gathering together by the beach. "There's a friendliness to the house," says Georgina. "It's the kind of place where, from the moment you open the door, you know you're welcome."
Photographer: Cricket Studio | Stylist: Nicola Rogers