Apartment renovation for greater holiday home comfort

An innovative approach to holiday home design turned this challenging apartment renovation into a luxurious retreat with contemporary style and better use of its living spaces.

A great location doesn't always make a property. Holiday-home owner Sue found that 15 years of visiting and renting out her coastal apartment had taken a toll, and a serious update was needed. The complex was even on the verge of being knocked down before owners agreed to retain the building and revamp the interiors.

Sue engaged designer Penny del Castillo, director of In Design International, and the two formed a good working relationship. "Other people looked at the apartment and their designs were still poky," says Sue. "Penny had a totally different perspective and really brought the kitchen/dining area out, providing a greater balance to the living areas."

As the property is rented to other families during the year, the materials used in the apartment renovation had to be able to withstand heavy treatment. "We realised we needed to do a really good job," says Sue. "We had to choose materials that wouldn't be easily knocked around, so if kids stood on something, it wouldn't break."

The entire home has been restyled in a 'contemporary classic' look. Sue was keen to keep the colour scheme simple; its blend of warm beige and brown tones unifies the interior spaces and creates a classic style that will not date. Wall colours are off-white, lending a clean backdrop to stunning timber furniture pieces, stylish lamps and funky floor rugs.

Where originally there was only one communal space, the holiday home renovation now means that visitors can enjoy separate parts of the home, or a little solitary time if need be. "We had this tiny kitchen that really only one person could get in," says Sue. "Penny opened that whole area up, so what was once the kitchen and main entry is now another usable space," says Sue.

The sunlit window seat is another fantastic addition, providing a sitting area that can also be used as a day bed for a lazy afternoon snooze. Reading is encouraged, with the inclusion of a classy leather-bound bookshelf.

"The day bed used to be an empty void outdoors that no one used," says Sue. "People outside could look in and see what you were doing. In Design International made that area private; with city council approval, Penny gained more room and functional space for us."

This holiday home design is so luxurious, visitors may well forget about the sun and surf and stay cosily tucked away indoors.

Penny del Castillo, from In Design International

What is the interior style of the apartment?

It's all in a contemporary style that is classic and simple.

Was the apartment renovation a collaborative effort?

There was no architect involved. We did all the interior scope and documentation, including submissions to the council. The builder was contracted by the owner.

Did you encounter many challenges along the way?

The fact that it was a first-floor apartment in a 30-year-old multi-storey building was very restrictive. Engineers would not allow us to penetrate, let alone relocate some of the walls as we had hoped. Prior to the renovation, the proportions allocated to living areas as compared to the bedrooms were completely unbalanced, but we managed to make some changes.

Did anything surprise you?

We did have a win in the main bathroom. Hydraulics experts had advised we could only fit a 1200 millimetre bath in the space, but upon demolition we were able to relocate some of the pipework, which gave us an additional 250 millimetres. This made a world of difference and meant an adult could actually sit in the tub!

What do you like best about this project?

The delight on my clients' faces when they saw their holiday home. And the giant built-in day-bed area. It's a great sleeping or reading area, complete with a custom-made leather-bound American oak wall-mounted bookshelf.

Sue, the homeowner

Why did you decide to renovate?

We bought this place 15 years ago and it was a quaint little holiday rental apartment back then. It wasn't actually too bad, but it needed a bit of sprucing up. We have renovated once before, but there were still a lot of things we wanted to improve.

What interior style did you go with?

We went for a European look that was tonal and would be low maintenance. Penny showed us a lot of European-look designs in magazines, which we liked. She offered us two different colour schemes and we chose the one we liked best.

How did you find your designer?

We met Penny through someone at work and felt that we got along well with her. We found her extremely professional, a lot of fun, and very diligent - if she said she was going to do something, she followed through. Penny thinks outside the box, which is great.

Was anything difficult about this job?

Penny had a bit of a hard time with this apartment renovation - there were a lot of areas that would have been extremely stressful for her to work through. The apartment is on the first floor, so we couldn't knock down a lot of walls. There were a lot of support walls that we couldn't move.