Why everyone is talking about this old beach shack in quiet coastal town: ‘Truly magnificent’

A tiny red-brick house in a quiet coastal town has been transformed into a dreamy candy-coloured family home that immediately catches the eyes of passersby. 

The ombre pink weatherboard home, named Sunkissed Higgins, is in Middleton and was designed to mimic the sunset on the south coast of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula just over an hour from Adelaide. 

Designer Chris Rowlands of architect and director at RAD Studio was enlisted to create the young family’s dream home drawing inspiration from their favourite coastal holidays, the surrounding landscape and the local community. 

Speaking with FEMAIL, Chris explained why he and the owners, Adam, his best friend of 30 years, and his wife Chloe, who live there with their two young sons, opted for the pink gradient on the exterior. 

‘We’re all eighties babies and a lot of the imagery that went around during that era had a lot of colour vibrancy. The inspiration was drawn from the 80s vapor-wave sunset imagery – the sun sets directly behind the home,’ he said. 

An ombre pink weatherboard home named Sunkissed Higgins is in Middleton and was designed to mimic the sunset on the south coast of South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula just over an hour from Adelaide

Designer Chris Rowlands of architect and director at RADs Studio was enlisted to create the young family’s dream home drawing inspiration from their favourite coastal holidays, the surrounding landscape and the local community

Owners Adam and Chloe moved into the home when it was nothing but a small red-brick structure with only one bedroom and decided to renovate when they found out they were having another child

Speaking with FEMAIL, Chris explained why he and Adam, his best friend of 30 years, and his wife Chloe, who live there with their two young sons, opted for the pink gradient on the exterior

‘Chloe wanted to introduce pink to the house because she was living there with two boys and a husband. We didn’t just want to apply a big whack of pink to the house for the sake of it so we graded it out with the sunset… it kind of fades off into the sunset.’

The playful exterior colour makes the high-end beach shack an attention-grabbing feature of the street it sits on and even stands out from the retro A-frame holiday home that sits next door. 

It even earned a commendation at this year’s Dulux Colour Awards in the Single Residential Exterior category recognising excellence in the exterior paint finishes of a private single residence. 

The curved pink portion of the home houses the main bedroom and ensuite. The shower sits at the point of the wedge and is adorned with earthy strip tiles and a porthole window that looks out to the ocean while providing privacy.

At the rear of the house, there is a light-filled sunken lounge-slash-sunroom lined with windows to let natural light pour in. 

‘We’re all eighties babies and a lot of the imagery that went around during that era had a lot of colour vibrancy. The inspiration was drawn from the 80s vapor-wave sunset imagery – the sun sets directly behind the home,’ he said

 Adam and Chloe decided not to demolish the house because of the memories they had already created there and they wanted to lower their impact on the environment

They aligned the house so they could include an alfresco entertaining space out the back and for Adam and Chloe to chat with passing neighbours 

Adam installed a crazy-pave stone floor himself which adds a funky touch however Chris said it was the product of a renovation mix-up: ‘It actually wasn’t the batch (of stone) that we ordered but it came through and exceeded expectations’

Adam installed a crazy-pave stone floor himself which adds a funky touch however Chris said it was the product of a renovation mix-up. 

‘It actually wasn’t the batch (of stone) that we ordered but it came through and exceeded expectations,’ he said. 

Little gardens filled with cacti are peppered through the chic home that provides pops of green life while a crisp white interior creates a sense of calm. 

Adam and Chloe moved into the home when it was nothing but a small red-brick structure with only one bedroom and decided to renovate when they found out they were having another child. 

‘They had their first child their son there. It was basically three rooms and situated pretty awfully on the site, it didn’t have a lot of natural light or anything like that coming through the home,’ Chris said. 

‘They did a few minor adjustments just to make it livable but ran out of space pretty quickly. They wanted a house big enough for the whole family.’

The curved pink portion of the home houses the main bedroom and ensuite. The shower sits at the point of the wedge and is adorned with earthy strip tiles and a porthole window that looks out to the ocean while providing privacy

The playful exterior colour makes the high-end beach shack an attention-grabbing feature of the street it sits on and even stands out from the retro A-frame holiday home that sits next door

Adam and Chloe decided not to demolish the house because of the memories they had already created there and they wanted to lower their impact on the environment. 

‘They were conscious of knocking down the home and contributing to landfill. Having their first child there they had a sentimental attachment to the house,’ Chris said. 

He added the home is made out of ‘heaps’ of recycled materials but still manages to look fresh and new.  

They aligned the house so they could include an alfresco entertaining space out the back and for Adam and Chloe to chat with passing neighbours. 

‘They’re really social and vibrant people. They’re engaged with the community so they were not afraid to flip the house on its head and actually have it facing the street,’ Chris said. 

‘There’s a there’s a bike path that goes from Goolwa all the way to Victor Harbor along all the coastal towns and it goes right past the front of the house. The way they’re living is that they’re on their front deck all the time and chatting to people as going past down the road.’

‘They were conscious of knocking down the home and contributing to landfill. Having their first child there they had a sentimental attachment to the house,’ Chris said

Chris described Sunkissed Higgins as an ‘extension of the beach’ and has lucky to be able to see the home being properly lived in and cherished

Chris described Sunkissed Higgins as an ‘extension of the beach’ and has lucky to be able to see the home being properly lived in and cherished. 

‘It’s okay to leave your surfboard on the front deck, and get changed then you’re sitting at the kitchen table looking straight out at the water where you just were. Even though it’s not beachfront, it feels it,’ he said.

‘It’s nice going down there and visiting a project so frequently when it’s not something you get to do a lot. Going down and seeing someone live out the brief they gave to you is this really nice thing to experience.’ 

Chris said Sunkissed Higgins is a good example of why Aussie home owners should not be afraid to use colour in their design as it gives a space a distinct ‘identity’.  

‘It’s okay to for a house to have an identity and I think it contributes more broadly to the community rather than trying to just keep up with current trends,’ he said. 

‘That sense of identity potentially goes a long way if people are bold enough to take it on.’