Originally built in 1957, Neil and Shirley’s modest beach house on the Tweed Coast in New South Wales, Australia, could have easily been overlooked—or, in the hands of different owners, even torn down. Thankfully, the couple, who have owned the home since 1987 as a holiday getaway, are keen on preserving it.

“We really loved the position, so close to the ocean and absolutely encroaching the dunes,” explains Shirley. “Our childhoods were spent in big old Queenslanders, so it felt like home. Additionally, I grew up on the beachfront while for Neal, the house recalled many happy holidays spent near the beach in typical ’50s Queensland beach houses.”

Before: Exterior

In a recently completed renovation, the couple chose to work with a firm “who would sympathize with our desire to preserve the house itself,” finding a kindred spirit in architect Dominic Finlay-Jones and the team at DFJ Architects.

“The unsuitability of these post-war holiday shacks for today’s year-round residents has seen many make way for larger, modern homes, significantly altering the character of the region,” says the firm. “We were all in agreement this 1957 Tweed Coast residence, despite its seemingly terminal functionality issues and dilapidated asbestos shell, warranted preservation.”

After: Exterior

Despite its wear and tear, the home featured some “key modernist flourishes” that the firm wanted to highlight including the exposed beams and raked ceiling in the main living area, as well as a massive chimney wall comprised of local rocks.

“The stones of the fireplace and chimney were salvaged from the beach on the north side of Hastings Point,” says Shirley. “Before the bollards were built, the locals would avail themselves of the rocks there by the ute load, being as they were so smooth and just the right size for their gardens.”

Before: Enclosed Entrance Fernery

The original home comprised three different areas to be reworked: the beach-facing pavilion holding the main living and sleeping spaces; the small, enclosed fernery at the entrance; and a linear garage and workshop that connected the home to the street.

The main portion of the home was restored and streamlined to highlight the original scale and materiality. The architects replaced the fernery with a decorative screen treatment that better displays the stone chimney, which is now visible from the street. Lastly, the garage and workshop were redone with a three-bedroom, one-bath wing “grafted” atop to accommodate visiting family.

After: Front Terrace

Now, the beachfront pavilion essentially functions as a two-person home, holding the couple’s bedroom suite and the main living spaces. DFJ Architects relocated the kitchen and dining area to ease the floor plan and inserted wide walkways for fluid movement and better connection between areas. The preserved ceiling structure and eye-catching chimney— “the midcentury heroes of the entire project,” says the firm—were restored as anchor points in the new design.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

For Neil and Shirley, it’s the perfect blend of new and old. “Not only is it spacious where there was little space before, but it is so very functional that it seems almost to predict our movements,” say the couple. “It is a house of easy grace made of beautiful materials which echo the place and the history. And it still has the element of surprise, which we treasured.”

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After: Neil and Shirley’s Suite

Essential to the project’s success was also the team’s understanding of how beloved the home is—to both the family and the culture at large. “The modest 1950s beach vernacular that Neal and Shirley’s [house] belongs to sits outside of the current range of protected historic significance, but holds an iconic place in many Australians’ hearts,” says the firm. “We believed the bones of this house were worth preserving and using as a springboard to graft new work onto—breathing new life into what was already a well-loved family home.”

After: Guest Wing

More Before & After:

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Project Credits:

Architecture: DFJ Architects / @dfj.architects

Builder: DTA Building

Structural Engineer: Westera Partners

Interior Design: DFJ Architects

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Before & After: A “Higgledy-Piggledy” Beach House in Australia Becomes a Streamlined Retreat