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Interior designer Billy Innes always hoped to return to Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, near her childhood home in Merricks. ‘I wanted to give my children a similar upbringing; fresh air, open spaces, the beaches and away from the city,’ she says.
It was her parents who discovered the perfect site – an acre block in Flinders, within walking distance of the local kindergarten, town and of course the beach. ‘We instantly fell in love with the size of the block and its location on a dead end dirt road with a cricket oval over the road,’ Billy says.
After outgrowing the original house on the site, Billy began designing her dream family home, with her father Micheal Innes, a semi-retired architect, and construction by Bernie Everett Building. The home was to be open, coastal, and relaxed, filled with lots of wonderful natural light and lovely outlooks to the garden from every room.
‘I was super lucky to work on the design of the house with my father. He has done a wonderful job capturing the natural light and bringing the outside in,’ says Billy.
This contemporary structure features two separate barn-style pods clad in weathered silvertop ash. Dulux Natural White serves as the backdrop for the neutral and earthy interiors, layered with Indigenous art and handmade ceramic pieces.
The surrounding gardens including the pool and barbecue area designed by Kate Patterson Landscape Architecture and constructed by Real Earth Developments are just as impressive as those indoors. `We were lucky enough to inherit some gorgeous old fruit trees and a lot of space to create a gorgeous garden, complete with a swimming pool and in-ground trampoline for my family and friends to enjoy,’ says Billy.
A bespoke powder-coated outdoor bath and shower by Unearthed Garden adds further impact, alongside their striking steel planters and wood stackers dotted around the property.
Billy treasures the easy, relaxed feel of her home, and delights in hearing the sounds of her children Olly (15), Charlie (12), and Mimi (10) playing in the surrounding garden. ‘I feel very blessed to be living in a coastal/country town, close to the beaches where we can swim, walk, bike ride, surf’ she says. Now that really is living the dream!
