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A Renewed Energy – Mermaid Beach House by Maher Design
Along the Gold Coast’s sandy shores, Mermaid Beach House is set mere steps from the Pacific Ocean. Conceived by Maher Design as an extensive renovation to an existing building, this contemporary family home pays deference to its favourable coastal locale through intelligent planning and thoughtful material combinations.
As designer Geraldine Maher explains, working within the confines of the 1980s-era building brought challenges and opportunities to the design process. “The brief was originally to do a more cosmetic makeover, but as we looked more closely at the original house it became obvious to us that it could really benefit from more substantial works,” she reflects. The resulting scope focused on introducing material cohesion and maximising the physical and visual connection to the beach through a series of minor yet impactful changes to the layout.
The ground floor layout has been thoughtfully reworked to support this rationale. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a wide pivot door. Its sheer size is grounding and comforting, and the timber it is constructed from hints at the warmth that ensues within. Inside, a brise soleil constructed from terracotta breezeblocks designed by Adam Goodrum “defines the entry space and creates a sense of arrival,” Geraldine notes. It also helps to gently divide this entry knuckle and the kitchen, which sits deeper into the plan. To the right, a staircase wraps the room, leading to private zones for living and sleeping on the first floor, and to the left, the open plan living, dining and kitchen area is oriented towards the sand dunes and ocean beyond. In experience, the effect is of a gentle, somewhat magnetic pull into the home and out again to the sun-drenched coastline.
This area is the pragmatic and emotional heart of Mermaid Beach House. Whilst its scale is generous, Geraldine’s careful consideration of spatial sequences results in a room with multiple functions and feelings; some are intimate, such as the clandestine table for two with unimpeded views to the beach, whilst others are gregarious and enveloping. Pleasingly, both work in tandem, resulting in a vibrant place that matches the residents’ habits and aptitudes. As Geraldine says, “the clients are Gold Coast natives, and they have a very outdoors-y lifestyle. They go to the beach every day – they can walk directly into the living space off the sand dunes, and the space really facilitates that easygoing attitude.”
Achieving this sense of fluidity and harmony did not come without its trials, and moving the kitchen within this space was a significant consideration. As Geraldine explains, “relocating the kitchen to the rear of the space maximised the view from the dining area and living space and those physical and dimensional constraints forced us to shoehorn a kitchen into a very tight space.” Whilst compact, the sense of openness belies the footprint with thanks to a series of work zones that divide the room and direct the experience, supported by a suite of Fisher & Paykel appliances. Geraldine offers, “the thing that drove the selection of Fisher & Paykel was the design and aesthetic aligning with great functionality and a really high-quality product.”
An induction cooktop – housed within a monolithic form constructed from stone and timber and featuring discreet, integrated ventilation – becomes a refined and sculptural centrepiece. Further, the refrigerator and freezer are integrated, which, as Geraldine says, “allowed us to be really creative with how we designed the kitchen.” The seamless continuation of walnut cabinetry across the front of these two appliances is effortless, allowing for a deeper visual appreciation of the forms and materiality leading this fundamental space.
“Relocating the kitchen also created an issue with storage,” Geraldine explains, “so we designed an eight-metre bench that contains a number of the kitchen functions.” Stretching the far elevation, this feature acts as a physical conduit between the kitchen’s primary work zones and the informal bar area at the home’s front edge. It also contains integrated Fisher & Paykel appliances. For example, two CoolDrawers – which can be stocked with drinks – are intentionally positioned in close proximity to the informal bar area, creating an entirely self-sufficient space and, in turn, allowing for total ease and functionality when retreating to this nook to relax and enjoy the view.
Further back in the heart of the kitchen, this same piece of joinery contains two single DishDrawers, which offer generous capacity realised with refinement. Geraldine comments specifically on the aesthetic value these pieces brought to the space, saying, “[they] enabled me to design the joinery on a terracotta plinth, which is lifted up off the ground so it doesn’t look like kitchen joinery.” Also, tucked behind the kitchen is a large games room. Whilst the clients are inherently outdoors-y people, this indoor space is the perfect complement to the home’s varied entertaining areas, and the ideal space to hang out in as an occasional reprieve from the beach. Cleverly, this room is also equipped with a Fisher & Paykel CoolDrawer and DishDrawer, meaning entertaining here is effortless – drinks can be stocked in the CoolDrawer and washing up is a swift exercise. Geraldine has employed the same design rationale as seen in the primary kitchen and dining area, integrating these pieces into the joinery and elevating it off the floor, creating lightness in a busy area.
This approach, grounded in a pursuit for a refined and holistic minimalism, is evident throughout this project; however, the energy is high, with thanks to vibrant artwork and textiles reflective of the coastal spirit. Outside, terracotta louvres – a material choice gleaned from the existing terracotta tiled roof – have been used as balustrades as well as overhead to provide shade from the sun. Terracotta also stretches out underfoot. As Geraldine says, “it has that textured feel so you can literally walk in off the sand onto the terracotta; it doesn’t matter if your feet are sandy, it really facilitates that relaxed lifestyle, and it has a warmth that contributes to the overall comfort of the home.”
As a confidently executed reworking of an existing form, Mermaid Beach House is a visually exciting and contextually relevant family home. The pleasure comes not only from its elevated internal experience but from its proximity to the ever-changing ocean, meaning the joyfulness felt by its residents will renew with each passing day.
