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Home Tour: Escape to Isola
This inviting South Coast holiday home fuses Aussie nostalgia with Mediterranean coastal cool for an unforgettable seaside sojourn.
For owners Will and Sammi, bringing their dream seaside retreat to life wasn’t solely for themselves — it was a chance to share their slice of coastal serenity with others. Their intention was to “create a luxury retreat that felt both sophisticated yet relaxed, luxurious yet playful and nostalgic.” And yes, that means you can book this dreamy retreat for yourself.
Just 1.5 hours down the coast from Sydney, the five-bedroom Isola sits within the quietly buzzing seaside town of Gerroa. “The residence’s name ‘Isola’ means to be ‘surrounded by the sea’ and much of the layout and aesthetic was influenced by the sea or the sun which sets over it each afternoon”, shares Will.
Location was a key part of the project. Will explains, “We had stayed in Gerroa a few times with other families and loved that it was a place where the river met the sea and that the sun set over the water. The proximity of it being 1.5 hours from our house in Sydney meant that it was also an easy weekend getaway. We saw the property on the market, which was at the time a very dilapidated old 2-bedroom red brick house, but in a fantastic position, perched over the beach. I still remember standing on the beach looking up at it with my wife and thinking this is a pretty unique place and opportunity so we jumped at it.”
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Knowing that visitors would be maximising their time in the idyllic home, Will and Sammi sought to prioritise natural light, particularly the afternoon sun in which they imagined guests soaking up their surroundings, beverage in hand.
“We always envisaged the home to have a large pitched roof which allows for oversized highlight windows on both ends of the house and naturally works with rafters and skylights”, explains Will. And those gorgeous stripes of light? “We used custom aluminium battens across the front of the house which faces North East to draw in the morning sun down the wide centre of the house. The sun through the battening creates a beautiful pattern which washes across the limestone batten flooring.”
In designing a holiday home, the couple knew they’d have to combine their vision with guests’ needs and practicalities top of mind. “We wanted Isola to be able to accommodate 3 families so wanted to have fully separate living/dining/kitchen/laundries upstairs and downstairs so there’s space to come together or to have some quiet time when you need it”, shared Will. It also meant a focus on a “large pitched roof, wide rafters and skylights, all to maximise the light and view across the waves down Seven Mile Beach.”
Perhaps one of the most striking details of the home is the balcony balustrade that manages to achieve a real feat of not only not obstructing the view but enhancing it. Will acknowledges it as a “key design element” that felt at once sculptural and unique but also “porous enough to frame rather than compete with the view.” He continues, “ Its shape draws the eye outward, while its rounded profile (which is reflected in many elements throughout the home) reflects Mediterranean craft traditions.”
It was this fusion of “coastal Mediterranean and touch of Australian nostalgia” that has defined the unique style of the home, as well as an intentional palette with serenity at its core. “We wanted it to have a neutral base with pops of personality through colour, materiality or finish… a kind of subtle boldness. A space of elevated sophistication that still invited you to fully unwind from the moment you stepped into it.”
With guest feedback already rolling in, Will shares that the pool is easily a favourite feature. ”Generous sun loungers bookend the pool and provide a framing to a space in which you can while away hours in the spa, drink in hand as the sun sets over the water/sand and escarpment behind. Magic.”
After two years, from first sketches to key handover, Isola has left Will and Sammi much to be proud of. Aside from the striking upstairs terrace, the couple notes that it’s the feeling that being in the home evokes that has made it all worth it. “It’s exactly what we wanted, a place to unwind, where time slows, for lasting memories with loved ones by the sea.”
Project Credits
- Build: Lime Building Group
- Architect: Design Ensemble
- Styling & Interior Design: Lowi Interiors
- Photographer: Nat Spada Photogrpahy
If you loved exploring the magic of Isola and are looking for more South Coast inspo, be sure to take a peek at our edits of things to do in Kiama and Mollymook.
