The living is beautiful in this sun-drenched villa complete with rooftop deck and pool for chill-out sessions – the inside is pretty spectacular, too
ROOF DECK
Long lunches and evening dinners by the fire take place here. The fireplace was crafted by a local builder. A pergola area provides shade if things get too hot.
EXTERIOR
Built in the 1980s, the house has a turret on top where you get amazing coastal views
POOL AREA
The swimming pool was originally on ground-floor level but it was rebuilt to be on the first-floor level to link it in better with the main living spaces.
You’d be forgiven for thinking this sun-drenched home was sitting somewhere along the Mediterranean with its mock-Grecian turret, sweeping staircase and Moroccan-style doors. Instead it’s a 1980s villa in Sunshine Beach, a town just north of Brisbane, designed and built by local artist John Cummins and his wife Veruschka, who had modelled it on Mediterranean villas they had stayed in.
Interior designer Nina Caple came across the property and was drawn in by its unique style, northfacing light and soaring ceilings. ‘We were looking for a new project and this house had great character,’ says Nina. ‘There are a lot of old beach shacks, terrible 80s architecture and contemporary beach houses around here, but this place had so much natural light and we loved how unusual it was.’ Plus, it suits their outdoorsy lifestyle being just a short walk from the beach where they all spend a lot of time. It needed a complete renovation and Nina and property developer husband Nick were keen to take it on.
‘It was a bit hodgepodge, the layout was terrible and a lot of the surfaces were damaged,’ explains Nina. ‘We wanted to refurbish and refinish the surfaces, create better functionality, but maintain the integrity and character of the home. We were able to keep items like the original circular staircase and wrought-iron balustrade.’
Nina’s design studio at Anchor&Belle completed the concept work and documentation
