Situated in the sprawling rural community of Tallai, on the outer edge of the Gold Coast, is a home with a unique take on the luxurious Hamptons style and the timeless comfort of the Australian country aesthetic.
Fontaine, by Australia's top builder Metricon Homes, is an acreage design, spanning 600 metres square, combines contemporary farmhouse living with the glamour of that exclusive south fork community of Long Island, New York.
"We've seen a dramatic increase in requests for Australian Hamptons and similar designs. It's easy to see why as it combines our shared love of relaxed outdoor living, entertaining and coastal locations, while adding elements that make the style our own," says Adrian Popple, design director of Metricon Homes.
"We started the design with a vision of white country style, open truss gables, set against contrasting grey painted James Hardie Linea Weatherboards that create uniform shadow lines.
"Elements such as feature mouldings, corner stops, exposed rafters and thick window frames were used to accentuate the coastal look and create consistency with exposed beams inside the home," Adrian says.
By creating a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor areas, the home has a light, airy feel from the moment you enter the open-plan living, dining, kitchen.
The white ceiling beams and truss are contrasted by HardieGroove panels creating textural lines that draw the eye out to the alfresco area and back garden. The panels took half the time of individual timber board installation, thus being a less expensive option yet still giving a look of luxury.
The family and dining room is grounded by rich ebony floorboards, adding to the look of expert craftsmanship seen on the exterior. The rest of the palette is muted and ornamentation is kept to a minimum for a more contemporary feel.
In the kitchen and butler's pantry, the white walls contrast with light grey cabinets that have pared back detailing that nods to the traditional shaker style of The Hamptons. The splashbacks and counter tops are marble.
The master suite - the largest of the four bedrooms - extends the play of textures, muted tones and stonework with large format tiling in the ensuite, walk-in wardrobe cabinetry and raked ceilings with exposed beams.
"Plus, the durable James Hardie fibre cement composition makes them resistant to impact and damage from cracking, moisture, rotting, fire and termites, so we were able to use them under eaves and on the raked ceilings of the alfresco area and cabana."
Along with the property's generous guesthouse, the cabana perfectly flanks the back of the home from its place adjacent to the 8x4m swimming pool. By mirroring the detailing of the main building, it shows how easy it is to create consistency in additional living spaces.
"This is especially important on big blocks with multiple structures, which are becoming more popular as people adapt to working from home and move to outer suburbs for better blocks.
"The Fontaine has the breezy elegance and craftsmanship you see in the Hamptons, combined with the rustic charm of Queenslander and country designs.
"It's a vision we wouldn't have been able to achieve with brick as it's visually too heavy, while render wouldn't have provided a contrast to the lines of the open truss gables," Adrian says.
The Fontaine provides the ultimate sanctuary on a grand scale and an affordable budget, making it the ideal family home.
To get the Australian Hamptons look see jameshardie.com.au. For Metricon Homes and the Fontaine go to: metricon.com.au.