Home Tour: Chilled Out Vibes at this Beachside Bungalow

Who lives here

Creative duo, Jaynie and Nathan Johnson of Blacklist Studio and their three children.

Location

Cronulla, in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire.

Décor style

Easy going beachside vibes with an artistic edge.

Design goals

A complete renovation of a bungalow, into a family home that is bathed in natural light.

Favourite room

Master bedroom. It is a sanctuary and incredibly peaceful.

Surrounded by Cronulla’s lush coastal lifestyle, creative couple, Jaynie and Nathan Johnson of Blacklist Studio, have created a family home where summer vibes linger year-round. It’s a laid-back abode with a playful side, designed for the ever-changing needs of their young family of five.

Jaynie and Nathan are renowned for creating beautiful artwork, stationery and journals in their signature typography style. But when they came across a tired and worn-down house in an amazing location, they turned their hand to home reno – transforming the property into a dreamy bungalow with fresh interiors and a sun-kissed deck area.

A home filled with natural textures, beautiful art and chilled out vibes, we couldn't wait to take a sneak peek inside. 

Bathed in sunlight, the bungalow has an open-plan living area that overlooks a beautiful backyard. The deck and pool, with a bridge that runs across the top, leads down to a lush garden with an overarching palm tree.

Jaynie explains how they kept the framework of the house but gave the interiors and garden a complete overhaul; changing the floorplan, walls, floor, ceiling and outdoor area.

“It’s a three-bedroom house which has a couple of living spaces,” says Jaynie. “We put in a new kitchen, redid the bathroom, and added an ensuite. I love gardening, so we did the landscaping and added a bridge over the pool – basically, we did everything except knock the house down.” 

Using white as a base, Jaynie embraces her love for natural textures and art. Throughout the home they’ve used recycled timber floors, and have included rugs, timber furnishings, linen couches, textured light fittings and greenery. 

It’s an understated style that balances their colourful artwork. Some they have bought and others they have created themselves, which Jaynie admits they are forever switching around.

“We like to see our home as a constantly evolving space that tells the stories of our family’s evolution."

Vintage and reclaimed furniture from China, India and Indonesia feature throughout the home, linen covers the lounge and beds, and brass and terracotta are beautifully placed around the house. 

Jaynie has what she calls a canvas style approach, meaning a neutral base and then adding layers to it over time. A combination of furnishings and pieces they love.  

Lined with bold and abstract Sister Corita Kent artworks, the hallway leads to a sunlit living area. The timber furniture (sourced from Water Tiger in St Peters) and linen covered couches (online retailer Major Minor) create a relaxing spot. 

The distressed rug adds texture to the room and plants in terracotta pots blend the indoors with outside. 

“We wanted to keep it light and bright, with personality,” Jaynie explains. “We love having books out, we have kanthas out to add pops of colour, and our artworks change all too regularly.”

The open-plan kitchen is simple and white with large pendant lighting hanging above the benchtops. That, and the round timber dining table brings texture to the room.

“We used Corian for the benchtops, as we wanted the sink to be all in one, and I loved the durability of this material. 

"We kept it quite simple and functional, but added the texture in the pendant lights from Les Interiors,” Jaynie says.

Simple yet colourful, the kids have instilled their personalities into the rooms. Wanting to give their daughter Willow a sense of independence and responsibility, Jaynie let her design and style her room.

“It’s not the easiest thing for us to do visually, but it is important and empowering for her. She’s awesome though, as she likes to collaborate with us a lot of the time.

“The boys, on the other hand, share. This is a new thing, and we wanted it to be very minimal so toys and books wouldn’t be a distraction at bedtime. Our five-year-old, Dare, has a hilarious obsession with banana stuff, so when I saw the Castle bedlinen, it was a must.

“The artworks in the room are by an incredible artist Digby Webster. They were a gift to Dare on his first birthday, as Digby and Dare share the amazing gift of having three copies of their 21st chromosome, Down Syndrome.”

Wanting to create two bathrooms that were a sanctuary, Jaynie kept them minimal in design but added texture with greenery and other timber pieces. The towels, Jaynie says were sourced from SAARDE. 

“We wanted the two bathrooms to relate to each other and so have the same vanities in different sizes, and tiles and fixtures. 

We make them unique with the accessories, such as the ensuite having a double shower. We also added VJ ceilings to build on the texture of the space,” explains Jaynie.

On summer days, the poolside deck is a much-welcomed sanctuary. The bridge leads onto a large grassy area, which has been beautifully landscaped with plenty of space for play and entertaining. 

Jaynie points out the mural, a collaboration with The Jazz Cats, and one of her favourite parts of the home. 

“We needed a solution when we knocked the back of the house out, so we built the deck and bridge. The pool is great for the kids and their friends in summer, we have fires in the yard and have lots of space for the children to run and play.”

From left to right: Moon River Beni M'Guild, Tigmi Trading; Family Mantra Print, Blacklist, from $120; Surf Shack Book, Booktopia, $37.75; Rattan Tall Plant Stand, Fenton & Fenton, $221