Best Homes

This contemporary abode ensconced on leafy acreage seamlessly blends with its bushland surrounds and offers a warm welcome through a custom-designed entrance gate which hints at the many unique architectural elements to be discovered within the home. After making your way down the meandering driveway, the first thing you spy is a large turning circle that envelops a feature tree, setting the scene for the remarkable residence that awaits. The facade of the home is streamlined in its design and cleverly uses linear cladding to visually elongate the exterior and emphasise the home’s impressive size. The external walls are finished in a warm-white colour that creates a light, bright feel with natural stone and timber cladding used to soften some of the facade’s more clinical components. A tall blade wall…

The Mesa, with its impressive street presence, flowing lines, neutral tones, and rich textures, is named after a prestigious neighbourhood in that most renowned of Californian resort towns — Palm Springs. A combination of Spanish revival architecture and innovative modern design elements, The Mesa conjures a captivating ambiance and is what Nick and Carly O’Shea, owners of OSB Property, call a “destination of imagination”. This luxury “life ready” new home is from the Boutique Lifestyle Collection and was constructed by OSB’s multiple-award-winning building company, O’Shea & Sons Builders. Set on a spacious 615sqm block in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Tarragindi, The Mesa is a 450sqm, five-bedroom family home with a wonderfully warm, natural feel and a raft of lifestyle-enhancing features. A key focus was biophilic design. This is an approach…

Claiming one of the most pristine stretches of coastline along Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, St Andrews Beach is a favoured getaway destination for those wanting a break from living the fast-paced Melbourne life. Not surprisingly, it was the location of choice when a couple from the city decided to build a holiday home they could enjoy along with their children and grandchildren. While the location — close to the beach and embraced by bushland — provided the perfect setting to build a family retreat, it also posed more than a few challenges. Proximity to the ocean meant salt-laden high winds and bad weather throughout the winter. During the hotter, drier months there was a risk of bushfire. Adroitly dealing with these obstacles, while delivering a design that met the family’s aesthetic…

Set on a peaceful bushland-embraced five-acre block in Maryknoll, nestled in the heart of rural southeast Victoria, this property was purchased when the home was partially constructed, with Nick Bishop of Elite Building Services deciding it would make the ideal base and serve as a means of showcasing the company’s design and building expertise. “When we bought it, the home was almost at lock-up stage with the slab, frame, roof and bricks up,” explains Nick. “We changed some of the basic structure, including some internal walls, and completely changed the fittings and fixtures, style and character of the home. Our goal was to produce an exceptionally high quality of home, showcase our complete range of products and skills, and create a family home, so it certainly has been a labour…

Boasting a modern classic facade and an interior designed for luxurious yet casual living, this simply exquisite display home from award-winning Buildcraft Constructions perfectly showcases the custom builder’s design and construction expertise and eye for detail. Located in Bella Vista, a bourgeoning community north-west of Sydney, the two-storey, four-bedroom display home was designed with both comfortable family living and easy entertaining in mind. “The front portion of the house is designed for entertaining guests and features a luxurious area for socialising or relaxing. The front foyer also makes a wonderful first impression. As visitors step over the threshold, their eyes are drawn to the large, light-filled entry void and the statement wrought-iron staircase,” says John Ugarkovic, Director, Buildcraft Constructions. “The family area of the house features a large kitchen with…

Defining modern style, The Marley display home features a carefully considered palette of colours and materials, starting with the white, clean-lined front facade. Adding to the street appeal is the rendered blockwork fencing with breeze block detailing that offers privacy to the pool terrace and main outdoor living space that sit at the front of the home. The sophisticated alfresco living area, with its limestone-look porcelain tiles and striking travertine stone feature wall, is the perfect place to entertain or simply enjoy the view of the pool. The addition of a modern outdoor kitchen and a cleverly concealed outdoor shower only serves to enhance the luxury living experience. From this stunning space, the interior of the home is accessed via recessed sill cavity stacker doors. Light, airy and boasting a…