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Chyka and Bruce Keebaugh weren’t particularly looking for a holiday home, when they stumbled across this Mornington Peninsula property on Instagram one evening. Chyka explains ‘I saw it on instagram… we went to see the house on the Monday, and bought it the following Saturday.’
The stunning home wasn’t always this sleek, though. As Chyka explains, ‘before being recently renovated by the previous owner, it was originally purple and yellow!’ Since moving in, she and Bruce worked closely to redecorate, and make the place their own. They were keen to retain the ‘look and feel of the place’ while extending the home and refining the materials palette. They extended and created a grand master bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and dressing room, as well as introducing a large family TV room (with hidden bar!) on the ground level. Extensive work was also undertaken outside, with landscaping by Paul Bangay rounding out the new pool and entertaining area, complete with an outdoor fireplace.
The interiors employ a neutral, pared back palette, as Chyka explains ‘I am someone who loves knick knacks, so I really tried to make this space simple.’ She describes the aesthetic as inspired by Nordic design, but with her own personal twist. She highlights ‘I love that this house has such calming colours, we have one black space, our library, that I call the spine of the home, and the other spaces are all neutrally toned.’
For Chyka and Bruce, this impressive weekend retreat is the culmination of a lifetime of hard work. In addition to enjoying the serene interiors and impressive grounds of their new home, Chyka enthuses about the luxury of being able to simply ‘get away’. ‘We have never had a holiday house before, and I absolutely love the feeling of driving down the road, opening the gate and knowing we are a world away, in our gorgeous little slice of heaven.’ Surrounded by rolling hills, vineyards and orchards – this home is indeed a dream escape for one very accomplished couple!
