From Palm Springs to Long Jetty

With a passion for breathing new life into tired, dated homes, renovation royalty and popular husband and wife personalities Kyal and Kara open the doors to their latest project – a sunny, bright and all-white, coastal-style property in Long Jetty, on New South Wales Central Coast.

Their style is influenced by the architecture of mid-century Palm Springs homes in California – a design movement known as Desert Modernism and recognised by its use of clean lines, glass, natural finishes and flow-on indoor/outdoor spaces.

Kyal and Kara felt the unique design elements, simple elegance and informality was the perfect style to replace the original, dated weatherboard house – and also suited the laidback, coastal lifestyle of the area. 

“Our goal was to create a light-filled sanctuary that felt comfortable and inviting,” explains Kara. “It’s a real sanctuary but with plenty of space for entertaining.”

Upon entering the house, high ceilings, large glass windows and an open-plan living space flooded with natural light take centre stage. “The first thing that strikes you about the renovation is the scale of the ceilings. At 3.6 metres high, they make a real statement,” says Kyal.

Complementing the look and feeling of space is the use of oak floors together with a soft white colour palette and Corinthian Moda internal doors for the entirety of the interior. “The Moda door is a long time favourite of ours,” says Kyal. “Its simplistic design ties in perfectly with our coastal style, whilst also providing a unique difference to an otherwise standard door.”

With the high internal ceilings, the added door height of the Moda design plays an integral role in the grandeur and scale of the interior. Kyal and Kara were also drawn to the profile of the Moda collection, “the shape of the Moda doors adds an extra layer of detail that would otherwise be missed if we used a flat, standard, profile door,” explains Kyal.

Looking to extend the feeling of space in the bedrooms, Kyal and Kara chose Corinthian Moda doors fitted with barn door hardware in a matte white finish for the walk-in-wardrobes.

The wardrobes are a design highlight for Kyal and Kara as they wanted to keep with the clean lines of the walls but also create a feature with the sliding doors. “This is a great design feature which emphasizes the shaker profile of the doors and creates a statement in itself,” says Kara. “We’re big believers in every detail being carefully considered – it’s the details that count and create a unique and beautiful renovation.”

With a goal to design a family home that was built to last, the importance of high-quality and carefully selected materials was imperative. CSR Gyprock was the couple’s chosen plasterboard supplier for the second time, following the success of their Toowoon Bay renovation in 2016.

For the home’s internal linings, Gyprock Supaceil plasterboard was used for the ceilings, alongside quality Gyprock compounds. In the laundry and bathrooms, Kyal and Kara chose Gyprock’s Aquachek plasterboard, which is specifically designed for use as a lining in wet areas due to its moisture and humidity resistant properties.

Gyprock Alto cornices feature throughout the home and provide “a perfect balance between modern and traditional style,” explains Kara. Stylish yet unobtrusive, it was a well-thought-out design element for the Long Jetty home.

The crowning glory of the home is the ‘outdoor entertaining space to die for.’ The couple’s vision for the backyard was to merge Palm Springs style with Moroccan textures as evident in the gorgeous mosaic tiled plunge pool, alongside lush greenery and a breeze block wall.

Being alfresco living enthusiasts, Kyal and Kara installed a fully integrated kitchen and barbeque, underneath a covered deck area with large skylights that lets in natural light. A poolside outdoor shower also adds to the backyard’s coastal vibe.

Overall, with the use of carefully selected quality building materials and a strong design vision, Kyal and Kara have created a beautiful beachside sanctuary, designed to last a lifetime.