Carissa and her little family of four (husband, Nev and two littlies, Hendrix and Henley) live on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. Having moved there nearly seven years ago from Mackay, they were looking for a family-friendly place to call home.
With a love for nature, they found that in the Sunny Coast and have not only built their own family home but renovated a little beachside abode for Air BnB as well. We spoke with Carissa about her holiday rental and found out more about the vision she hoped to achieve.
Let's start at the beginning, when did you purchase Banadero Beachstay and was the intention always to create a holiday home?
We purchased Banadero Beachstay back in March 2021, we visited the property with no intentions of purchasing, walked in, saw the potential, fell in love… and here we are! The ocean breeze combined with the beachfront location had us imagining all of the wonderful family summer holiday memories we could make here! The finalisation of our family home, being built in Buderim about 10 minutes from Banadero, had some delays so we ended up living here for six months. The aim from the beginning was to do a full renovation to restore the 1970’s built apartment to a luxe beachfront abode.
We fully renovated the apartment. All that remained was the kitchen cabinetry which had been refreshed a few years prior. The renovation took us probably around five months in total.
How would you describe your process and design style?
We were lucky enough to have our go-to interior designer, Danni fromDanni Morrison Studios assist us with this process. Danni fully understands our style and what we wanted to create (think relaxed, calm, chilled out beach vibes) so it was easy for her to design something that was beautiful, functional and suited our family.
The process entailed deciding what were the must-have’s for a beachfront airbnb… and Danni brought this to life.
For those embarking on a renovation or build project, what advice would you offer them?
Everyone had told us to be prepared for things to ‘go wrong’ with an apartment this old, so I guess, that would be our advice - simply be prepared for anything to happen during the renovation journey! We have recently built our family home and the advice there is the same, just be ready for anything, it is hardly ever smooth sailing across the entire process!
What are some of the key materials you were drawn to for Banadero Beachstay?
The fresh, tranquil colour palette was really where it all started - think sage green, fresh whites, tan leather and organic textures to really create that laid back, beachside vibe.
Combine that with our custom green mexi-style tile from locals Sunshine Living Tile and Stone for our bathrooms, carefully curated pieces of artwork, our gorgeous solid oak beds (Totem Road Lagos Bed, of course), and you’ve got yourself a beautiful beachfront abode.
We purchased three of the Totem Road Lagos Beds before we even started the renovation as once I found them via Instagram, I loved them! They really provided the base for each bedroom in the apartment. Such great quality, durable and long-lasting in their construction (solid oak) and super easy to make the beds (when I’m doing multiple change-overs with guests this is super important!)
We love that our Lagos Beds are in all of your bedrooms, what do you love most about this particular style?
What really drew me to this particular style of bed was the modern, minimalist style alongside the oak colour. The soft curves create a feeling of warmth in our bedrooms which I particularly love.
What are your favourite things to do in the area?
We love the Cotton Tree/Maroochydore for everything that it offers. First and foremost it is the beaches - Maroochydore Beach is right on our doorstep, and only a short stroll down the road is the gorgeous Cotton Tree Beach which is amazing for the younger kids! The eateries that surround this area are so plentiful, it really provides something for everyone. Our favourite, go-to would be the Fish & Chips at Cotton Tree for an early Sunday dinner!
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