Chinaman’s beach house scope

Elsa,

It was so lovely to meet you and to see the house a few short months post the move! I know that with a house this size, it is a daunting task to realise the potential in a way that feels totally authentic - turning a house into a home requires a nuanced and complex strategy that takes into account a range of factors ranging from style decisions, furniture, soft furnishings, lighting… to budget and timelines. With a very busy life and large family to run in tandem with this, outsourcing is a power move!!

The following is a scope reflecting our preliminary meeting - it is a rough outline of the issues as you see them and the directions we might consider in the grand scheme. It is a starting point from which we will develop a comprehensive vision for the direction we will take to reach the point where you feel totally - at home.

So let’s get started.

Entry:

Being brutally honest, I’d have to say the entry point to this spectacular house is…. underwhelming. For a big house, there is a lot of wasted space that has resulted in compromised rooms and pretty inefficient use of area. A house of this calibre should have a beautiful and generous entry!

This is the first impression your home gives of the interior - and this is a rather mean hallway that says nothing about what this property is all about. So I have been thinking…

Look at the amount of wasted space beyond the designated ‘foyer’. I’d propose we consider deleting the ‘family/media’ room and all its inefficiency, in favour of a more centralised and generous entry point to the house.

Re-imagining the floor plan doesn’t have to be a huge deal, but it does have to be clever.

You have four bedrooms downstairs and your youngest child sleeping on this level, which in itself can be problematic due to noise disturbance when you’re entertaining. Wouldn’t it be batter if all four kids bedrooms were downstairs?
Creating a master suite on this level makes a lot of sense, and there is space to do this! A beautiful new bedroom, walk in robe and ensuite.
Chris may or may not be willing to have a custom designed office that suits his needs exactly, as it may mean giving up his view - but this whole area could be configured to be just about you and Chris. How you enjoy the view is a matter for you two to decide - you don’t get to appreciate it at night, and if Chris works from home a lot, maybe you decide it’s better to leave the study where it is. But maybe those weekend sleep-in mornings would be even more decadent if you enjoy the harbour with your breakfast in bed…
We can add a powder room beside the existing laundry for guests, as the bathroom outside Leo’s room would be subsumed by the newly created master suite
The family/media space switches to the fireplace and the piano moves downstairs.

You can appreciate in the two photos above just how wasted space there is and how dark the current entry hall is. If you can imagine the new entry deleting the curved wall, you can see how it would better centralise the front door, and allow us to use its previous location in our reconfiguring of the master suite.

This is a suggestion - if it doesn’t resonate with you then that is totally fine - I’ll get busy with a design for the existing!

The Living Room:

The aim here would be to make this vast room feel intimate and fill it with character and comfort. Right now, the muddy grey is not our friend. We spoke about the outdated notion of dining rooms - how they take up one of the best rooms of anyones house to be used how often?? Hardly ever.

So…. I mentioned the used of partition joinery - that which demarcates zones without robbing light or closing in big airy spaces. I think this would work well to section off the area where the fireplace is from the larger end of this room.

Further re-imagining of the floor plan… the fireplace is lovely and cosy, it’s actually where you want to be in winter, so why save it for a ‘formal’ living area? Why not instead, claim this cosy space to enjoy every night snuggled in with the kids, or alone, all the time, not just when you entertain.

This is another instance of the fundamental inefficiency of the floorplan as it exists now - with so much available space, you’re left with rooms that are not really big enough!! But by thinking outside the square, we can totally change this perception.

The lovely leather modular is cramped in here - we need to see it to properly appreciate it!

The area is ENORMOUS and the view is breathtaking, yet you walk past it and don’t get to really enjoy it because it is set up for those occasions when you throw a dinner party. Let’s put the lovely modular here - allow it open the space, add curtains, chunky wool rugs, the warm glow of lamplight and the richness of everyday family enjoyment!

And this piece of joinery on the back wall? Neither use nor ornament. (I warned you I’m blunt!!).

Family/media room:

I know that you’ve already purchased the modular in here, but I am not convinced that this room justifies its footprint. It looks like a compromise.

So… if we chop off the curvy part of the room for the new entrance, the part that fits the tv and nothing else, then we are left with a small room. Options are:

make it a small music room with the piano and some joinery
Extend the laundry/mudroom (if we don’t move the laundry downstairs), including adding more storage
add a powder room for guests to use, as Leo’s bathroom will no longer be available to anyone but the two of you.
make it an office space for the running of the household

The furniture can be moved somewhere else in the house, it’s a lovely colour and looks very comfortable. The very full bookcase above right clearly evidences your need for joinery! Planning for this will be a critical exercise to ensure you have ample storage.

The Kitchen:

A big house for a big family needs a big kitchen - and that is not what you currently have!

This will be a great joy to design with you - as we discussed in our meeting, by expanding right along the back wall, leaving the sink where it is, and adding a large central island bench that gives you all the bench space in the world but also allows for a breakfast bar - we can create a substantially bigger, more efficient and upgraded kitchen befitting a home of this calibre. An island bench is a fabulous addition to a kitchen in a house of teenagers especially, that precious time we enjoy when cooking with kids sitting watching, talking to us about their world…. no eye contact… easy and informal revelations can tumble out freely!!

The kitchen table is such an important zone for a growing family - it’s the best place for communication by its very function - it puts us in direct contact for a single purpose at an allotted time. No other zone of the house can ensure the same certainty of schedule! It is also a place where we entertain friends and extended family and in this modern age of reduced formality, does not require the requisitioning of prime real estate, ie, the best pozzy in the house!!!!

This is an ideal spot for a large dining table - either round or even elliptical, to maximise seating without reducing your sense of space and generosity. It also makes such good sense to have the table here in the summer months with the bbq out on the deck. It is so often the case that people have an inside and an outside table setting - so unnecessary when our summers are so hot and getting hotter. This way, you can enjoy the open doors and ease of access to outside over a long lunch without the sweating!!

Mudroom:

As we discussed, the laundry is working pretty hard here. It makes so much more sense to shift it downstairs, freeing this room for other laundry-like purposes - everything except the laundering - hence the term, mudroom.

Currently your laundry is posing not very successfully, as a tardis. A lot is being asked of it both as a laundry and as a storeroom. By moving the laundry function downstairs, we suddenly have a generous area to do mudroomy things! If we decided to delete the current ‘media’ room, we can extend into that space from the mudroom, a whole lot more storage capacity as well as finding space for the new powder room.

A bench seat with under seat storage for boots and runners, a series of lovely coat hooks, capacious cupboards - we create a transition space between the outside and the in, a space to take off muddy gear, sports gear, dog walking stuff, etc etc.

We spoke too, of a butler’s pantry as an alternative and we can thrash this out more in our next meeting. But again, a family of this size needs a ton of very practical space for STUFF and with the ideas for a new, improved kitchen, my guess is that you’ll decide in favour of the mudroom over a butler’s pantry. It makes better sense.

Study:

How divine to sit and work with a view like the one this room commands. My suggestion for reconfiguring takes this into account as one option, but we can flip to have the bedroom here if you liked that idea. Either way, we can make it work, we have enough space to work with to create a new master suite, regardless of what we put where..

A full audit of exactly what the family requires in terms of joinery would be a critical first step in designing the package, especially in this room, the engine room of the house. I would start by suggesting the wall on the right as you enter could be a wall of bookshelves and that we analyse whether there is a better positioning for the desk. You want to take full advantage of the view, but glare can be an issue on screens.

Style wise, I would want to inject a clubby character to this room, balancing the lightness of the vista with a little more solidity in the furniture to give it a bit more gravitas. This is a work zone - we want to enhance it so that it feels GOOOOOD to be in here.

Having said all that, if you decide to flip the study to the back of this new suite, we can design something equally compelling there, too.

Leo’s bedroom:

I can design a scheme for Leo’s room and create a space for him that feels unique to him - whether his room stays here or moves down to Lucy’s current room (giving Lucy the current master bedroom). A Ralph Lauren vibe with a strong colour palette that feels masculine, but cosy and inclusive is my instinct here.

The room requires improved joinery, if Leo is to stay here. He needs space for his lego creations, as well as all the paraphernalia a little lad amasses, not forgetting his clothes. Decent and well planned joinery is the answer to the chaos of little lad life!

Downstairs:

A laundry instead of the extra bathroom down here is a brilliant move - with the majority of the dirty linen originating downstairs, why carry it all upstairs to wash and dry, only to then return it downstairs. Much more efficient for it to be on this level.

We spoke about deleting the loo and if we did that, we could put a big linen press in here where the shower is, with the machines on the opposite wall, I think they’ll fit side by side, which leaves you with greater bench space on top. But along with all the other changes I have suggested to the internals, an architect would need to be engaged in order to maximise the potential.

Lucy’s room:

I’m very glad that whether Lucy stays in this room or moves to yours, that I will have her creativity to guide the scheme! I love what she’s done - she is a gorgeous girl and I’d love to talk with her further about what she likes so that the end result is a space she feels especially good about. As your only daughter, we HAVE to put her first!!!

The importance of encouraging our children to bring their friends home is no doubt top of mind for you, as it is for most parents. As this bedroom is on the small side, it is yet another reason to move her to yours!

But if she is to stay here, I think we should think about how she and a gaggle of girls can best enjoy this space - I think we need to look at layout and whether it could be better to relocate the joinery to the wall where her bed currently is.

I also think adding some minimal outdoor furniture could add amenity for her. We could of course do this for Leo too, if he takes over this space.

Master bedroom:

I feel like this current master bedroom needs a total revamp. Greys are so deadly and there is a lot of it here. It is colourless, drained of energy - the exact opposite of what the heart of the house should be!

If you want to ignore my enthusiasm for shifting to a greatly improved and newly designed upper level suite,…. (!!!) then I promise you, I will chase out the bland here in favour of stylish luxe, which you and Chris richly deserve.

I feel also, that down on this level, there is a reduced sense of privacy, your blinds on either side of the central doors need to be closed to protect it, which compromises the vibes!

Liam’s room:

This room is a great size and enjoys the same lovely aspect. It just needs some design and style to make it sing.

Liam will need a more substantial desk and shelving and this could be added to the joinery package to do in this frst phase, or at a later date. But in the meantime, we will ruffle his feathers with a style makeover to be revealed!!!

Lachlan’s room:

Given where Lachlan is at with school, the makeover of this room should be swift so as to minimise disruption for him. At the end of the hall, he is well located for noise reduction and at this stage, the bathroom he shares with his brother, will not change. So it is the easy stuff that we will get in and get done pronto.

Floor to ceiling linen curtains would add warmth to this room as it is not the warmest. May I also be so bold as to suggest a queen sized bed???!!! Even a double bed would be an improvement. Again the Ralph Lauren clubby vibes are tinkering in my head - a masculinity that is warm and full of character and interest would be a vast improvement on this.

I’d also suggest a big comfy chair where he can read or just hang out - something a little more inviting that the one there now, or maybe that needs a reindeer hide or something to soften it and give it some love

Downstairs hallway:

This does not have to be a thoroughfare devoid of style - right now it has zero character. I’d want to see it filled with a gallery of family photos, art, interest - and wallpaper.

Lots to thrash out in the CIP but let me tell you, you’re going to feel very differently about this zone when I’m done!!

And last but not least on the interiors, this is a perfect spot, as identified by you, for a linen press. To add to the joinery package!

To conclude:

Elsa when you buy a house, particularly a big one like this, it can be a daunting task to shut out the vision of its previous life and to claim the space as YOUR home. It takes a while for your thoughts to percolate down about how you experience the spaces, how you could better utilise specific areas, how you can imprint your ownership on this most central location for your family, the family home.

The bones of the house are so good - and so ripe for transforming to meet the needs and dreams of you and your family. You and Chris have the opportunity here to create something spectacular in one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. The best way to achieve your goals with the property is to plan and then stage its transformation. I’d love to be an integral part of that process and I very much look forward to getting to know you as we get underway!

Please feel free to contact me at any point regarding the foregoing and when you’re ready, let’s schedule our next meeting.

Henrietta x

Chinaman’s beach house scope

Elsa,

So let’s get started.

Entry:

Being brutally honest, I’d have to say the entry point to this spectacular house is…. underwhelming. For a big house, there is a lot of wasted space that has resulted in compromised rooms and pretty inefficient use of area. A house of this calibre should have a beautiful and generous entry!

This is the first impression your home gives of the interior - and this is a rather mean hallway that says nothing about what this property is all about. So I have been thinking…

Look at the amount of wasted space beyond the designated ‘foyer’. I’d propose we consider deleting the ‘family/media’ room and all its inefficiency, in favour of a more centralised and generous entry point to the house.

Re-imagining the floor plan doesn’t have to be a huge deal, but it does have to be clever.

You have four bedrooms downstairs and your youngest child sleeping on this level, which in itself can be problematic due to noise disturbance when you’re entertaining. Wouldn’t it be batter if all four kids bedrooms were downstairs?

Creating a master suite on this level makes a lot of sense, and there is space to do this! A beautiful new bedroom, walk in robe and ensuite.

We can add a powder room beside the existing laundry for guests, as the bathroom outside Leo’s room would be subsumed by the newly created master suite

The family/media space switches to the fireplace and the piano moves downstairs.

This is a suggestion - if it doesn’t resonate with you then that is totally fine - I’ll get busy with a design for the existing!

The Living Room:

The aim here would be to make this vast room feel intimate and fill it with character and comfort. Right now, the muddy grey is not our friend. We spoke about the outdated notion of dining rooms - how they take up one of the best rooms of anyones house to be used how often?? Hardly ever.

So…. I mentioned the used of partition joinery - that which demarcates zones without robbing light or closing in big airy spaces. I think this would work well to section off the area where the fireplace is from the larger end of this room.

This is another instance of the fundamental inefficiency of the floorplan as it exists now - with so much available space, you’re left with rooms that are not really big enough!! But by thinking outside the square, we can totally change this perception.

The lovely leather modular is cramped in here - we need to see it to properly appreciate it!

And this piece of joinery on the back wall? Neither use nor ornament. (I warned you I’m blunt!!).

Family/media room:

I know that you’ve already purchased the modular in here, but I am not convinced that this room justifies its footprint. It looks like a compromise.

So… if we chop off the curvy part of the room for the new entrance, the part that fits the tv and nothing else, then we are left with a small room. Options are:

make it a small music room with the piano and some joinery

Extend the laundry/mudroom (if we don’t move the laundry downstairs), including adding more storage

add a powder room for guests to use, as Leo’s bathroom will no longer be available to anyone but the two of you.

make it an office space for the running of the household

The furniture can be moved somewhere else in the house, it’s a lovely colour and looks very comfortable. The very full bookcase above right clearly evidences your need for joinery! Planning for this will be a critical exercise to ensure you have ample storage.

The Kitchen:

A big house for a big family needs a big kitchen - and that is not what you currently have!

Mudroom:

As we discussed, the laundry is working pretty hard here. It makes so much more sense to shift it downstairs, freeing this room for other laundry-like purposes - everything except the laundering - hence the term, mudroom.

A bench seat with under seat storage for boots and runners, a series of lovely coat hooks, capacious cupboards - we create a transition space between the outside and the in, a space to take off muddy gear, sports gear, dog walking stuff, etc etc.

Study:

Style wise, I would want to inject a clubby character to this room, balancing the lightness of the vista with a little more solidity in the furniture to give it a bit more gravitas. This is a work zone - we want to enhance it so that it feels GOOOOOD to be in here.

Having said all that, if you decide to flip the study to the back of this new suite, we can design something equally compelling there, too.

Leo’s bedroom:

The room requires improved joinery, if Leo is to stay here. He needs space for his lego creations, as well as all the paraphernalia a little lad amasses, not forgetting his clothes. Decent and well planned joinery is the answer to the chaos of little lad life!

Downstairs:

A laundry instead of the extra bathroom down here is a brilliant move - with the majority of the dirty linen originating downstairs, why carry it all upstairs to wash and dry, only to then return it downstairs. Much more efficient for it to be on this level.

Lucy’s room:

The importance of encouraging our children to bring their friends home is no doubt top of mind for you, as it is for most parents. As this bedroom is on the small side, it is yet another reason to move her to yours!

But if she is to stay here, I think we should think about how she and a gaggle of girls can best enjoy this space - I think we need to look at layout and whether it could be better to relocate the joinery to the wall where her bed currently is.

I also think adding some minimal outdoor furniture could add amenity for her. We could of course do this for Leo too, if he takes over this space.

Master bedroom:

I feel like this current master bedroom needs a total revamp. Greys are so deadly and there is a lot of it here. It is colourless, drained of energy - the exact opposite of what the heart of the house should be!

If you want to ignore my enthusiasm for shifting to a greatly improved and newly designed upper level suite,…. (!!!) then I promise you, I will chase out the bland here in favour of stylish luxe, which you and Chris richly deserve.

I feel also, that down on this level, there is a reduced sense of privacy, your blinds on either side of the central doors need to be closed to protect it, which compromises the vibes!

Liam’s room:

This room is a great size and enjoys the same lovely aspect. It just needs some design and style to make it sing.

Liam will need a more substantial desk and shelving and this could be added to the joinery package to do in this frst phase, or at a later date. But in the meantime, we will ruffle his feathers with a style makeover to be revealed!!!

Lachlan’s room:

I’d also suggest a big comfy chair where he can read or just hang out - something a little more inviting that the one there now, or maybe that needs a reindeer hide or something to soften it and give it some love

Downstairs hallway:

This does not have to be a thoroughfare devoid of style - right now it has zero character. I’d want to see it filled with a gallery of family photos, art, interest - and wallpaper.

Lots to thrash out in the CIP but let me tell you, you’re going to feel very differently about this zone when I’m done!!

And last but not least on the interiors, this is a perfect spot, as identified by you, for a linen press. To add to the joinery package!

To conclude:

Please feel free to contact me at any point regarding the foregoing and when you’re ready, let’s schedule our next meeting.

Henrietta x

Summerhayes House

Dockerty House Scope