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Subscribe Grounded Luxury: Inside ESTE Estate at Wategos Beach
A deeply considered retreat where coast and forest converge to reimagine the holiday home as a truly timeless experience.
Perched on one of the continent’s most easterly blocks, ESTE Estate is not your average holiday home. An artfully designed residence nestled between littoral rainforest and the coastal expanse of Wategos Beach, it manages to achieve the rare feat of balancing standing out with blending in. Cleverly configured across multiple levels, it offers the flexibility to be enjoyed as a single, expansive retreat sleeping up to sixteen, or as two independent wings — north and south — each with three bedrooms. Thanks to Shaun Lockyer Architects, who embraced the opportunity to create an unforgettable retreat, the estate reimagines the beachside interlude as something truly extraordinary.
The primary aim of the design was to “embrace the best of the ocean as well as the bush and the littoral rainforest that surrounds the back of the house”, shares Principal Architect Shaun Lockyer. A place where guests could “come to Byron Bay and enjoy a really, really special environment, both built and natural, that would be memorable in such a way that they would want to come back and do it again and again”.
More than a mere one-and-done stay, the team designed the build so that, “in the fullness of time, we hope the people who go back there get to experience something that feels quieter and quieter for their familiarity with the building, but richer and richer in experience for the memories that they create there and the sort of backdrop that the building provides to those memories.”
“It’s really about heightening the experience of being there for a short, intense and very special time, meaning that bathrooms and robes are open to the bedroom so that there’s this kind of lovely resort feel.” This philosophy extended to the living areas, which “are beautifully open plan and enjoy incredible views” in a “combined social living aspect”, he continues, referencing the rooftop pools and terraces. It was many of these living areas, dotted throughout, that remain favourite features, including the courtyard that sits in the cooler part of the site, enabling guests to enjoy the rainforest as well as a touch of respite from the heat.
“We don’t see these buildings as pristine white objects in the landscape. We imagine them to be these beautiful, rich, textural buildings that grow old gracefully and settle into the landscape the older they get.”
Key to the overall vision of crafting a space designed to be adored year after year was texture and materiality, Shaun explains. “In all of our work, we like the idea that materials are matte in finish, not shiny, that they are textured, that they are tactile, that they are imperfect and that they talk about the character of the place, but also the spirit of how we ourselves age, and how we get older. We become perhaps aesthetically less perfect but richer through the character that we develop. And I think buildings are the same. So we’re very conscious of designing a building that embraces that, as it gets more mature and the landscaping matures, and it develops the patinas and the evolutions of material colour change and even just the passage of time on the building.”
He continues, “We don’t see these buildings as pristine white objects in the landscape. We imagine them to be these beautiful, rich, textural buildings that grow old gracefully and settle into the landscape the older they get.”
With ESTE designed to inspire connection, create memories and get better with time, it comes as no surprise that the part of the project that Shaun is most proud of was the resulting relationships — firstly, with the owners and clients.
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“At the end of the day, these are challenging, long, expensive, time-intensive and emotionally intensive processes”, he shares. “I think the fact that we’ve come through this journey with two amazing clients, Chris and George, and Andrea and Angela, we’re just thrilled that they are as excited about the outcome as we are, that we’re great friends, that we feel like we’ve collectively contributed to a shared vision, and we have lived through a shared journey and ultimately the building is better for our collective contribution to it.”
And finally, with the “real sense of engagement with the landscape”, assures Shaun, “I think relationships are ultimately the most meaningful things in our lives, and this project is a great example of that.”
Project Credits
Architect: Shaun Lockyer Architects
Build: Dan Boots via DBD Build
Photography: Courtney King
Your next extraordinary escape awaits at Belle escapes. Explore ESTE Estate and other unforgettable Australian stays with Belle Escapes.
If you loved exploring the magic of ESTE Estate and are looking for more Byron Bay inspo, be sure to take a peek at our edits of the best bars and restaurants in Byron Bay.
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