A Sense of Place - The Byron Bay House and Coast Furniture Collection by Daniel Boddam

A connection to the coastal northern-New South Wales landscape is at the heart of Daniel Boddam’s most recent work, which encompasses both furniture and architecture with the Coast furniture collection and the Byron Bay House.

Living and working in Sydney, Daniel Boddam and wife Kelly Geddes were drawn to Byron Bay as a holiday escape from the city. Their love of the region’s coastal landscape led them to eventually purchase a two-storey weatherboard and brick holiday house, constructed in the 1990s. While the home was ready for a refresh, the location at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac backing onto a reserve (a haven for koalas) appealed to their love of nature.

This, in turn, informed the design for the renovation, conceived of as a barefoot sanctuary in which one could reconnect with nature and leave inspired. The architect sought to imbue the design with a sense of place, rather than referencing other established coastal aesthetics such as the Hamptons or Bali. Daniel drew on a robust material palette in the form of American oak, sisal carpets, limed oak and bluestone, paired with a fresh, neutral palette of white, pale grey and sandy tones to create a calm, light-filled space.

The architecture focuses on framing views of the sky and gardens, adding a courtyard at the front to create privacy from the street and act as an outdoor room. Living areas were re-ordered to open onto the courtyard and the reserve, emphasising a connection with the natural environment in which the house sits, and long lines of sight are established through the open-plan living space, enhancing a sense of openness and space.

The Coast furniture collection was designed for the Byron Bay House, creating a remarkable unity between the furniture designs and the architecture. Both the materiality and the forms of the pieces in the Coast collection evoke memories of the landscape and days spent exploring in nature. Each design brings a sense of the coast into the home, though in a refined and almost minimalistic form that contributes to an atmosphere of tranquility and retreat.

The Malibu tables, which include the Mini Malibu, the Malibu Table and the Malibu Side-Tables, were inspired by the shape of a surfboard, a form that resonates with all lovers of the coast. Carved from solid oak, the tables’ strong natural materiality brings the outdoors in, while the weighty forms ground an otherwise-light coastal interior. Smooth and tactile, the tables are available in three different stains that pick up different grains in the oak.

The Canvas Chair is an homage to classic campfire furniture. Yet, with its combination of thick cream canvas and natural timber legs (whose triangular shape was inspired by a boomerang), the Canvas Chair is equally at home in an elegant dining room or relaxed setting on the verandah. The second chair in the collection, the Kelly indoor sun-lounger, recalls something of iconic designs by mid-century modernist Hans Wegner in its line and form. Proportioned to enable two sitting positions, the Kelly Chair encourages repose, while the woven cane enables maximum airflow for comfort in a tropical environment.

Both the Byron Bay House and the Coast collection are embodiments of the relaxed way of life and connection with nature that led Daniel and Kelly to Byron Bay to create their holiday home. In this way, both architecture and furniture are imbued with a sensitivity to place, speaking to the excitement of exploring and becoming familiar with new landscapes.