Bay watch

ith a little help from her friends, Jane Novembre, of luxury furniture purveyor Domo, was able to realise her dream of creating her own coastal oasis. We wanted our beach home to be different from our house in the city, which is in a classic Arts and Crafts style. This was a great The first and biggest challenge was to extend the living space. This enabled us to have a spacious entry, guest powder room and a private ensuite. Before any visions could be actioned, we needed approval from the body corporate. With only six apartments in the all owner-occupied block, any external structural changes needed to be in keeping with the existing properties. Our close friends, who own the apartment next door to ours, are a dynamic interior designer and architect duo so it was only natural to collaborate with them. Having lived here for more than eight years meant they were able to work with us and the other owners. For any coastal home, the materials utilised are a strong consideration. Although we are situated on a bay and not near the open ocean, salt erodes everything, so the upkeep of things needs to be constant.   This home is warm and inviting but with all the modern conveniences. We wanted it to be very comfortable and great for entertaining. Our favourite element is the fireplace – with a flick of a switch it provides ambience, while the brass flue anchors the room. We were lucky in being able to furnish the rooms from our business. I had a Ligne Roset ‘Curule’ chair designed by Pierre Paulin sitting in my office for 18 months while we waited for council approval and building to commence, knowing exactly where it would go. We had fairly firm ideas about what we wanted, such as floorboards throughout, as I like layering with rugs. Marie Blackmore, our interior designer, was instrumental in choosing joinery and tiles for bathrooms. Gary Johnson, our architect, cleverly designed the shelving so we would see the sea when we walk in. Their support and input made our home what it is. Given how close we are to a main road, our place is set back and very quiet, so it’s a real oasis. The feature window looking out over the water is priceless. Seeing racehorses being exercised and taken for a dip is truly amazing. Watching windsurfers and seeing storms roll through is also a highlight as the view is constantly changing. We have a certain level of privacy on the beach and being able to walk out the back gate and onto the sand is pretty spectacular. It really is a joy to be here.