Stones Throw

The Brief & Vision

A comfortable family home just a stone's throw from the water — that was the dream. Our clients wanted a residence that embraced coastal living without resorting to the clichés of beach house design. They envisioned a home that was warm, welcoming, and robust enough to handle sandy feet and salty air, while still delivering the refined finishes and thoughtful spaces that define a Davies home.

The brief called for generous family living spaces that could accommodate the rhythm of coastal life — morning swims, afternoon barbecues, and evening meals with the sound of waves in the background. Every room needed to feel connected to the landscape, and the transition between indoors and outdoors needed to be seamless.

Site & Design Response

Positioned on a coastal block with proximity to the beach, the site offered both opportunity and challenge. The opportunity was obvious — the proximity to the water and the gentle coastal light that bathes this part of Tasmania's coast. The challenge was designing a home that could withstand the coastal conditions while maximising the connection to its setting.

The design responds with a low-profile form that sits comfortably within the streetscape. Rather than reaching upward, the home stretches outward, its horizontal lines echoing the flat coastal terrain. Large sliding doors on the northern elevation open the living spaces entirely to the outdoors, creating a continuous flow between the kitchen, dining, living, and the protected outdoor entertaining area.

The floor plan is organised around the family's daily rituals. The open-plan living zone occupies the prime northern position, with bedrooms arranged to provide separation and privacy. A considered entry sequence moves visitors through a sheltered approach, past carefully framed glimpses of the garden, before arriving in the expansive living heart of the home.

Materials & Craftsmanship

Material selection was driven by two criteria: durability in a coastal environment and visual warmth. The exterior combines weatherboard cladding with metal roofing — traditional coastal materials executed with contemporary detailing. The colour palette is deliberately restrained, allowing the home to sit quietly within its context rather than competing with the landscape.

Internally, timber features prominently — from the engineered flooring to the custom joinery throughout the kitchen and living areas. The kitchen is designed as a working space for a family that loves to cook and entertain, with generous bench space, quality appliances, and storage that keeps the space clean and uncluttered.

Bathrooms are finished with full-height tiling and quality fixtures, creating spaces that feel luxurious without being ostentatious. The attention to detail extends to every junction and transition — where timber meets tile, where wall meets ceiling, where inside meets outside — each resolved with the kind of precision that only comes from builders who genuinely care about their craft.

Living Experience

Stones Throw is a home designed for living, not just looking. The generous open-plan space accommodates the full spectrum of family life — homework at the dining table, cooking together in the kitchen, lounging on the sofa with the doors thrown open to the deck. The connection to the outdoors means that the home feels twice its size, with the deck functioning as a true outdoor room for much of the year.

The bedrooms are sanctuaries — quiet, private spaces with carefully considered natural light and ventilation. The master suite is positioned to capture morning light, while the secondary bedrooms are arranged to give children and guests their own domain.

The landscape around the home has been planted with coastal-hardy species that will mature and soften the building's edges over time. Low-maintenance gardens and durable outdoor surfaces mean that weekends can be spent at the beach rather than in the garden — exactly as our clients intended.