A Bright, Family Home by The Ocean

Hej! How was your weekend?! It’s a luxury long one here thanks to Valborg: a Swedish tradition to light bonfires in honour of the 8th century German vestal St.Walpurga (we’re heading to a little fishing village further up the coast later to celebrate – you’re so welcome to follow along on IG stories if you’re curious to see more!). In the meantime, I’m taking us somewhere much, much further afield here on the blog today: a beach side suburb of Newcastle, Australia! Ring a bell? Interior stylist and talented lady behind The House on Beach Road, Caitlin lives around the corner from Maddy who’s relaxed home I shared last Monday. The pair are good friends having met on Instagram. Caitlin and her husband Jon have been renovating their beach house, slowly transforming it into a vibrant, open-plan family home which they share with their three children Olivia, Ellis and Harriet (“Harriet is 4 weeks old so the house is total chaos at the moment!”). I caught up with Caitlin mid-chaos (although you’d never guess!) to find out more:

This black pendant light is similar, prints by Mapiful, Loom and Field sell similar rugs.

When was your house built?
Our house is a mixture of styles built through the eras. The original part of the house was built in the 1940’s and across the generations it has been added onto creating a large beach style home.

The before and after pictures of the main living area are quite incredible! What did you do to transform it into the bright space it is today?

The exposed beams were pre-existing in the house however, they were a heavily stained timber which made the room feel dark and heavy. We decided to paint the entire room white and it completely transformed the space. It’s such a beautiful bright and airy space now and the heart of our home.

What are the advantages of an open-plan living space?

We love the open planned nature of the house as it works well with the small children. The space opens onto a large deck which has ocean views and is a place where we spend most of our time. The kids wonder in and out of the house and onto the verandah and from this living space they are always in sight.

How did the coastal location influence the style of your home?

Being only 200 metres from the beach, our house style definitely reflects coastal living. The use of neutral tones, light filled spaces and lots of greenery are all influenced by our laid back lifestyle.

See pictures of the local beach here – I wouldn’t mind having this on my doorstep, how about you?!

Have there been any other influences on your style?
My husband and I both have strong opinions on how we renovate and decorate our home. He loves all things industrial and minimalistic and I love mid century modern and coastal so we tend to fuse these all together to make it work for us.

Coastal Palms print by Warran Brooke, Neve black frame pendant, This rattan console is similar.

Rattan sofa from Au Fait Living, white pom pom cushion.

Where do you shop for items?
I shop from a wide range of places. My favourite local store is definitely Willows Home Traders. So much of my home is filled with their beautiful pieces. I’m also a keen thrifter. I spend hours scanning Gumtree for second hand goods that can be given a second life. From my treasured mid century sideboard to my vintage oak dining table, I have found them all for a steal on Gumtree.

Prints by Jess West, Indie cushion – Sea Tribe.

Boho palm pillows, Print by Jess West Art, This black and white fouta / throw is similar.

Moses basket

Isn’t it the most lovely beach house? I’d so love to see the view of the ocean from the terrace – I’ll be watching Caitlin’s instagram like a hawk in the hope I might get a glimpse!

In the meantime, I wish Caitlin all the best settling in to life as a family of five!

If you’d like to see more picture of Caitlin’s lovely home there’s a load more pictures on her instagram feed.

And for more beach house inspiration it’s totally worth checking out the entire beach home archive. A couple of my favourites include a dreamy urban beach home, a dream Danish house by the sea.

Have a great start to the week all!

… things are starting to heat up here in Sweden, better get packing!

All photography ©Caitlin / The House on Beach Road