Contemporary Queenslander
Old meets new in this relaxed riverside home in Noosaville. When jeweller Bernadette Tuffley and her husband, Rob, were scouring Noosa for a weekender eight years ago, their real estate agent couldn’t believe they wanted to look at a tiny rundown shack aptly named Thistle-do.
While the house lacked aesthetic appeal, its location, just a short stroll from the Noosa River, prompted the couple to snatch it up. “It was a real case of buying the worst house in one of the best streets,” Bernadette explains of their snap decision. Wasting no time, the couple spruced up the tiny shack with a lick of paint and a new kitchen and used it as a holiday house for several years.
“We lived in an old Queenslander in Gympie so it was really convenient to head down on weekends and holidays and, during the year, we’d rent it out as well,” she recalls. “We had a visitor book and everyone commented that they loved staying there. It was just so functional.”
Looking to make a permanent move to Noosa, the couple decided to redevelop the site, yet, rather than demolish the much-loved holiday house, Bernadette and Rob were able to find a new home for it in Gympie. “Rob is a doctor and one of his patients was interested in the house, so they relocated it to a property in Gympie, which was really great,” she explains.
With a sizable block on which to build, the couple sought the skills of Coolum architect Paul Harbour to design a house that reflected the best features of their old Queenslander and the original beach shack. Another aspect of the brief was to create a design studio and workshop so Bernadette could work from home.
Set on two levels the spacious, light-filled home feels like a modern Queenslander with rooms spilling out on to shady decks, which are a favourite place to retreat to in summer. “I love that it is timber and that it is built on stilts. And it creaks a bit like an old Queenslander too,” Bernadette says.
Filled with furniture from the couple’s previous home, including an early Australian pine meat safe and large pine dining room table with carved silky oak legs, many of the pieces have sentimental value. On the deck, wooden chairs Bernadette picked up from a secondhand shop and painted white are relics from the old beach house. A thick bluegum table crafted from two slabs of timber forms a unique outdoor dining setting.
“I’ve hung on to a lot of things simply because I couldn’t part with them and I think they give the place a real homely feel,” she explains. “They hold a lot of memories.” On the white china walls
several pieces of art by Gympie painter Ken Gailer take pride of place alongside two works the couple picked up on a recent trip to central Australia.
Outside, an exterior palette of green and grey was selected to complement the tropical landscaping around the pool, while fibro panels were incorporated to reflect the original beach shack. Perfectly suited to relaxing and entertaining, the home is still an occasional weekender for the couple’s three sons, who live in Brisbane. “When we have visitors, everyone gravitates to the back deck and it is so nice to wander down to the river for a coffee at one of the cafes,” Bernadette explains.
“When you live on the Coast the outdoors really becomes your home. Rob does a lot of fishing and I do the river walk and national park walk.” While Bernadette likes to head outside to relax, when she is at home her favourite place is her studio, overlooking the river. Designed so it can be shut off from the rest of the house, checker-plate aluminium steps lead upstairs to the studio and set the tone for an industrial workspace.
Spilt into two sections the workshop is filled with silversmithing tools, sketches and precious metal off-cuts, while an adjacent gallery area, in shades of green and cream, showcases Bernadette’s designs. “I really love the studio,” she says. “I spend time in there every day. Also, it is in the only place in the house where we can see the river.”
HOME TRUTHS
Favourite feature
I wanted cork tiles because I had them in the house in Gympie and found they are warmer than timber and kinder to dropped glass. I think it is seen as old hat, so it was a hard decision to make, but I am glad I did as it gives the house a lot more warmth.
Design ethos
Uniqueness, quality and, most importantly, function. A piece of jewellery has to function well to be worn with comfort and ease and
I believe this design philosophy is true for the houses we live in as well. All areas of the house must function well and make the most of the aspects on which it is built.
Best time of day
The cool of the afternoon is a beautiful time to sit on our back deck overlooking the pool. It is also a wonderful time to wander down and sit on the edge of the Noosa River, which is at the end of our street.
Story: Kylie Jackes
Old meets new in this relaxed riverside home in Noosaville. When jeweller Bernadette Tuffley and her husband, Rob, were scouring Noosa for a weekender eight years ago, their real estate agent couldn’t believe they wanted to look at a tiny rundown shack aptly named Thistle-do.
While the house lacked aesthetic appeal, its location, just a short stroll from the Noosa River, prompted the couple to snatch it up. “It was a real case of buying the worst house in one of the best streets,” Bernadette explains of their snap decision. Wasting no time, the couple spruced up the tiny shack with a lick of paint and a new kitchen and used it as a holiday house for several years.
“We lived in an old Queenslander in Gympie so it was really convenient to head down on weekends and holidays and, during the year, we’d rent it out as well,” she recalls. “We had a visitor book and everyone commented that they loved staying there. It was just so functional.”
Looking to make a permanent move to Noosa, the couple decided to redevelop the site, yet, rather than demolish the much-loved holiday house, Bernadette and Rob were able to find a new home for it in Gympie. “Rob is a doctor and one of his patients was interested in the house, so they relocated it to a property in Gympie, which was really great,” she explains.
With a sizable block on which to build, the couple sought the skills of Coolum architect Paul Harbour to design a house that reflected the best features of their old Queenslander and the original beach shack. Another aspect of the brief was to create a design studio and workshop so Bernadette could work from home.
Set on two levels the spacious, light-filled home feels like a modern Queenslander with rooms spilling out on to shady decks, which are a favourite place to retreat to in summer. “I love that it is timber and that it is built on stilts. And it creaks a bit like an old Queenslander too,” Bernadette says.
Filled with furniture from the couple’s previous home, including an early Australian pine meat safe and large pine dining room table with carved silky oak legs, many of the pieces have sentimental value. On the deck, wooden chairs Bernadette picked up from a secondhand shop and painted white are relics from the old beach house. A thick bluegum table crafted from two slabs of timber forms a unique outdoor dining setting.
“I’ve hung on to a lot of things simply because I couldn’t part with them and I think they give the place a real homely feel,” she explains. “They hold a lot of memories.” On the white china walls
several pieces of art by Gympie painter Ken Gailer take pride of place alongside two works the couple picked up on a recent trip to central Australia.
Outside, an exterior palette of green and grey was selected to complement the tropical landscaping around the pool, while fibro panels were incorporated to reflect the original beach shack. Perfectly suited to relaxing and entertaining, the home is still an occasional weekender for the couple’s three sons, who live in Brisbane. “When we have visitors, everyone gravitates to the back deck and it is so nice to wander down to the river for a coffee at one of the cafes,” Bernadette explains.
“When you live on the Coast the outdoors really becomes your home. Rob does a lot of fishing and I do the river walk and national park walk.” While Bernadette likes to head outside to relax, when she is at home her favourite place is her studio, overlooking the river. Designed so it can be shut off from the rest of the house, checker-plate aluminium steps lead upstairs to the studio and set the tone for an industrial workspace.
Spilt into two sections the workshop is filled with silversmithing tools, sketches and precious metal off-cuts, while an adjacent gallery area, in shades of green and cream, showcases Bernadette’s designs. “I really love the studio,” she says. “I spend time in there every day. Also, it is in the only place in the house where we can see the river.”
HOME TRUTHS
Favourite feature
I wanted cork tiles because I had them in the house in Gympie and found they are warmer than timber and kinder to dropped glass. I think it is seen as old hat, so it was a hard decision to make, but I am glad I did as it gives the house a lot more warmth.
Design ethos
Uniqueness, quality and, most importantly, function. A piece of jewellery has to function well to be worn with comfort and ease and
I believe this design philosophy is true for the houses we live in as well. All areas of the house must function well and make the most of the aspects on which it is built.
Best time of day
The cool of the afternoon is a beautiful time to sit on our back deck overlooking the pool. It is also a wonderful time to wander down and sit on the edge of the Noosa River, which is at the end of our street.
Story: Kylie Jackes
