Lakeside living takes centre stage at Port of Newcastle’s Southport community, proving that sometimes it’s just better to let nature itself be your paintbrush.
The development won the 2010 Durham Region Home Builder’s Community of the Year award and the Tradewinds model, designed by Gabrielle Eckhardt, won for excellence in single-family design. The model itself recently sold but identical models will be on sale in the new year.
Glorious white dominates the high-contrast palette throughout the three-bedroom plus retreat model home to create a blank slate that lets the lake view inspire the entire home.
“I wanted to create the feeling of an island vacation home. The focal point is the expansive view, everything else is just in the background. When you walk in from the front door, the only colours you really see come from the sky and the water,” Eckhardt said.
Bleached cotton tones and subtle shades of chocolate brown create a neutral backdrop that works equally well in casual and formal settings, particularly in the family room which features an elegant coffered ceiling with trim detailing, on Eckhardt’s suggestion.
Eckhardt envisioned the space as a sanctuary for either a mature or retired couple who love to invite friends and family over often and are enamoured of waterfront living. Accents of driftwood and woven bamboo chairs give the home an almost Bahamas-like feel which matches well with the more classically themed decor.
“I saw this as a house where there is definitely a lot of entertaining going on. The accents just warm up the space with a few well-chosen pieces to make it feel grand and casually elegant. In order for a house to be memorable it needs layers to bring out the ambiance – this one invites you to sink in,” Eckhardt said.
