Home renovations: How to create a high-end Hamptons look for less

You may not all be able to afford a seaside property but you can certainly live a beach-inspired life.

The lure of living by the sea is indisputable, but the reality of nabbing a property with even a glimpse of clear blue waters is beyond reach for most – though creating a home that is reminiscent of a coastal paradise is definitely not.

Beachside interior styles vary widely but Hamptons seems to be the eminent trend of the lot. Light, bright and whitewashed with a sophisticated yet beachy vibe, it’s the antithesis of the shabby chic Australian beach shack. Not that we’re all following the Hamptons American trend literally. In fact, Australians have lovingly adapted this style, making it more accessible and affordable. Susanna Tolo, who runs the Instagram account @coastalhamptonstyle and eponymous fashion brand, says she is incredibly fond of Hamptons style, but having just built and renovated her family home on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, the scope to adapt this style in a cost-efficient manner is huge.

Susanna runs the popular Instagram account @coastalhamptonstyle

“Now, I would say my house is more coastal than strictly Hamptons. I started my (social media) site six years ago when this American design was starting to be huge in Australia, but I think we are now leaning towards a combination of Hamptons with an Australian coastal vibe,” she says. Susanna, together with her husband Antonio and children, Elena, 11 and Luka, six, settled on a 700 sqm block on a hill with views of the mountains. Hamptons-style homes are usually strategically built in premier locations by the beach, but Susanna doesn’t abide by that detail. The new family home was also built by a Queensland display home builder Brighton Homes, which in itself is a very counter-Hamptons move.

Coastal colours have been mixed with traditional Hamptons elements to give this home a modern Australian edge

“I found a design of theirs that I loved and it was far more economical than going through an architect and interior designer. We needed to keep costs down … you can have your dream home with a standard builder and make it your own,” she says. “We approached quite a few architects and custom builders, and when we put it all together, it was going to cost us an extra $150,000 on top of our budget.”

That’s not to say that Susanna followed the basic display home builder route either. Aside from sticking to the designated floorplan to keep costs down, Susan made changes to almost every other detail.

Susanna chose a dark blue for her exterior, in stark contrast to most of her neighbours

“For the exterior, I wanted something bold. All my neighbours have a white home and I wanted navy. I found a facade that the builder offered that would suit render on the bottom half and VJ panels on the top,” says Susanna.

“VJ panels were very important for me and gave the exterior that coastal vibe. We live on the Sunshine Coast – you could almost say VJ panels are part of the Queensland lifestyle – they have a real understated elegance.”

A muted colour palette features in all the bedrooms and the bathrooms (below)

The two-storey four-bedroom home has extra high ceilings downstairs with standard 2.4m ceilings upstairs (“no one goes up there but us, so it was good to save some money there”) with crisp white walls complementing the bright and fresh feel of the home. In a nod to classic Hamptons, Susanna has incorporated a coffered ceiling in the living area and chose economic laminate flooring on the ground floor to make it “feel it more coastal”. In the kitchen, Susanna opted for a bold splashback to make the space unique and stuck to her budget by swapping out high end finishes for middle-market hard-wearing options.

Susanna says the best advice she could give someone is to shop around and look for middle market products that look high-end

“My advice to anyone would be to shop around. I originally wanted a sink that was $3000 and then I found a near identical one for $800.” There are so many decisions to make when building a house from scratch, but sticking to your vision and budget is paramount, she says. “My advice would be to start a moodboard so you don’t get overwhelmed by choices. Building a house is very different from renovating. If you want all the fancy tapware and things like stone benchtops, then look at the base price of the display home and add $100,000 minimum. Otherwise, you have to think sensibly and be creative with your choices.”