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<\/p>\nInstead of rushing into renovation, Perini let the house speak first. Light became the priority, and two oversized skylights transformed the interior.<\/p>\n
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The green-tiled bathroom is a nod to the gum trees enveloping this coastal haven.Credit: <\/p>\n
She gathered natural materials slowly over the years, adding what felt right rather than what was fashionable.<\/p>\n
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Living in the house, as she first found it, allowed Perini to \u201clet the house speak\u201d before she began making changes. Credit: <\/p>\n
It was an approach rooted in patience \u2013 the same instinct that anchors her design practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI clad the brick chimney in sandstone flagging from Eco Outdoor and chose a yellow-toned grout to marry it into the existing brickwork,\u201d Perini says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got so excited by the chimney that I asked my friends \u2013 talented landscapers \u2013 to help me construct the freestanding outdoor fireplace at the base of the property. These elements were added to heighten the home\u2019s softness and emphasise the beauty already there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The property is a world unto itself with a lush, vibrant garden. Credit: <\/p>\n
That instinct for harmony also shaped the palette. Greens borrowed from the gums. Warm yellows echoing sandstone and sun. Brass catching the afternoon light without shouting for attention.<\/p>\n
Even the garden became part of the design language. In its earliest days, Perini planted only yellow-flowering species so that the whole property glowed at golden hour.<\/p>\n
\u201cI initially went completely over the top and decided that no plants in the garden could have anything but yellow flowers so that the garden glowed alongside the house \u2013 I have since expanded my colour palette to allow for purple,\u201d she laughs.<\/p>\n
But the soul of the home lies in the life carried through it. Perini\u2019s son Otis, 5, was born here, and the early years of raising a child in these rooms shaped the house in ways materials never could.<\/p>\n
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Claire Perini with her five-year-old son, Otis.Credit: <\/p>\n
\u201cI purchased this home from a lovely, very elderly lady \u2013 Avalon\u2019s first female GP, who lived here for more than 60 years,\u201d Perini says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt worked for her all those years, and it worked just as beautifully for us when Otis was a baby and now as a little boy. It\u2019s the kind of house that\u2019s simply easy at every age.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ease extends to gatherings as well. The home can be serene midweek, then come alive at the weekend \u2013 long tables pulled onto the deck beneath the trees, relaxed drinks by the fire, friends drifting between levels and terraces as the night loosens.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s a house that rises to any occasion \u2013 a quality that will serve its next custodians just as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy work is shifting back toward the city, and Otis is nearing school age, so the timing to sell feels right,\u201d Perini says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will miss this home and this community. Everyone who lives in Avalon agrees \u2013 nothing beats strolling down for a swim on a balmy summer afternoon. You can even collect ice-cream for the stroll home.\u201d<\/p>\n