Home profile
Meet and greet: Kristie (real estate agent with a creative design service and gym owner) and Andrew (Defence Force/gym owner), Halli, four, Archer, two, and chocolate Labrador Soda.
The property: A white-washed two-storey Hamptons-style dream home by the ocean.
Beachy vibes permeate this coastal home – and, as it’s just 50 metres from a stretch of golden sand, owners Kristie and Andrew can smell the ocean air drifting through their open-plan living area.
After living away from the coast for eight years, they wanted a seachange in 2018 and have never looked back. “This empty lot ticked all the right boxes,” says real estate agent Kristie. “It was slightly elevated, which would give us views of the beach with a north-facing backyard. That would provide a wind-free zone in the afternoons by the pool but allow the afternoon sea breeze to cool the house.”
Kristie designed her new home, hiring a draughtsperson to draw up the plans and help make her vision a reality. “It was all about us building a dream home for our family,” she says.
The couple knew what would suit them and their children, Halli, six, and Archer, four. “We were after a beach-shack feel, bright and relaxed, so we could feel we were always on holiday together with open-plan living so we could see through the whole house to the pool and keep an eye on the children,” says Kristie.
But there are me-time spaces downstairs, too, such as a study, a playroom and a guest suite with private access to the deck. “My parents often come to stay and have their own wing,” says Kristie. Meanwhile, a jute-carpeted staircase leads to three more bedrooms.
Kristie drew her inspiration from many sources, including images of a South African home on a cliff overlooking the ocean. “It had such a sense of openness,” she says. “You could almost feel the breeze around you.”
The Six Senses Laamu resort in the Maldives, where she and Andrew had their honeymoon, was another inspiration. “It’s a barefoot island,” explains Kristie, “with the buildings all open, with no walls, just a roof and a floor.”
She maintains the home, completed in late 2020, “is more relaxed and laidback” than true Hamptons style, but many elements here could be in Montauk or Southampton – the pitched roof, weatherboard cladding, bleached timbers, exposed beams, louvres and grooved panelling mimicking tongue-and-groove. Not to forget sofas with their white slipcovers, jute carpet upstairs and the sun-drenched palette.
“All the surfaces are tactile, so it’s earthy and not clinical,” says Kristie. “The shelving is micro-cement while the handmade Moroccan tiles have a homely, crafted quality.”
Her family spends most of their time in the kitchen, but they are by the pool in summer and around the firepit in winter. “I also love the main bedroom suite, with its French doors to the balcony where I can enjoy the sunset,” says Kristie. “It’s a moment when I can enjoy the sea breeze and watch the world go by.”
And reflect on the results of her hard work. “This is better than winning the lottery,” she says.
Shop Kristie and Andrew’s Hamptons-style home look
See more images of the Hamptons-style home below
The benchtop is Caesarstone London Grey and the custom vanity with rattan inserts lend a casual, relaxed air to the space.
They mounted Kit-Kat finger mosaics were horizontally to give the room width. Fusion Blue India floor tiles also create an interplay of colour and pattern (and are also by the pool).
The textural and colour themes continue in the marble penny round mosaic splashback and terrazzo floor tiles, butler’s sink, Astra Walker Icon tapware and Shaker joinery in Dulux Classic White on an Ascot profile.
The entrance features Fijian mahogany decking and a custom horizontal ash plank front door. They paired it with a panel of glass louvres to allow the ocean breeze to drift through. The landscaping features ornamental evergreen grasses and a potted giant bird of paradise.
Read this next:
- A light and airy home champions Hampton’s style
- Scandi-style Christmas decorating works a treat in this Mt Eden home
- A grand Oamaru villa is restored to balance work and family life
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
