Situated in the sprawling rural community of Tallai, on the outer edge of the Gold Coast, lies a home with a unique take on the luxurious Hamptons style and the timeless comfort of the Australian Country aesthetic.

Fontaine, by Australia’s Number One builder¹, Metricon Homes, is an acreage design spanning 600m² that exemplifies the emerging Australian Hamptons trend, by combining contemporary farmhouse living with the timeless glamour of the Hamptons look.

“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in requests for Australian Hamptons and similar designs. It’s easy to see why as it combines our shared love of relaxed outdoor living, entertaining and coastal locations, while adding elements that make the style our own,” says Adrian Popple, Design Director of Metricon Homes.

From the moment you see the property, its unique appearance has instant street appeal, continues Adrian: “We started the design with a vision of white country-style, open truss gables, set against contrasting grey painted James Hardie Linea Weatherboards that create uniform shadow lines. The play of the diagonal and horizontal angles creates an understated richness that has a lasting appeal,” he says.

To ensure the home remained refined, Linea Weatherboard was used across the entire exterior, with details picked out in white continues Adrian: “Elements such as feature mouldings, corner stops, exposed rafters and thick window frames were used to extenuate the coastal look and create consistency with exposed beams inside the home.”

The consistent use of design aspects to tie interior and exterior spaces together is key to the Australian Hamptons look. By creating a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor areas, the home has a light, airy feel which is beautifully executed from the moment you enter the open-plan living, dining and kitchen area. Here, the white ceiling beams and truss are contrasted by James Hardie HardieGroove lining creating textural lines that draw the eye across the space and out to the alfresco area and back garden.

The family and dining room is grounded by rich ebony floorboards, adding to the look of expert craftsmanship seen on the exterior, while the rest of the palette is muted and ornamentation is kept to a minimum, giving a more contemporary feel. If you are looking for a custom home build look to www.ryconbg.com.au for advice.

In the kitchen and butler’s pantry, the white of the walls is contrasted by light grey cabinets with pared back detailing that nods to the traditional shaker style of the Hamptons, while remaining contemporary. These back onto marble splashbacks and counter tops for a touch of luxury.

Further into the home, the master suite, which is the largest of the home’s four bedrooms, extends the play of textures, muted tones and stonework with large format tiling in the ensuite, walk in wardrobe cabinetry and raked ceilings with exposed beams.

“I’m really proud of the Australian-Country-Meets-Hamptons balance in the interior. The use of texture, rather than bold colour, to create interest makes the space versatile. This was made possible by the use of HardieGroove panels as they were about 50% quicker to install than individual timber boards that would have been more expensive to install one by one. Plus, the durable James Hardie fibre cement composition makes them resistant to impact and damage from cracking, moisture, rotting, fire and termites, so we were able to use them under eaves and on the raked ceilings of the alfresco area and cabana. The fibre cement withstands harsh Australian conditions, so it has lasting protection,” says Adrian.

Along with the property’s generous guesthouse, the cabana perfectly flanks the back of the home from its place adjacent to the 8.0 x 4.0m swimming pool. By mirroring the Linea Weatherboard, HardieGroove, thick white detailing and exposed trusses and rafter tails of the main building, it shows how easy it is to create consistency across additional living spaces.

"Keeping a continuous look in Australian Hamptons style homes creates a sense of ease, as there are no visual surprises to jar the eye,” continues Adrian. “This is especially important on big blocks with multiple structures, which are becoming more popular as people adapt to working from home post-lockdown and move to outer suburbs for better blocks. We’re also seeing requests for this look in metro areas for single and double storey properties, but whatever and wherever the property, consistency will be key,” he says.

Designed to be a country-meets-coastal retreat, the Australian Hamptons look ticks all the boxes for the harsh summers and blustery winters thanks to the use of premium fibre cement, Linea Weatherboard adds Adrian: “The Fontaine has the breezy elegance and craftsmanship you see in the Hamptons, combined with the rustic charm of Queenslander and country designs. It’s a vision we wouldn’t have been able to achieve with brick as it’s visually too heavy, while render wouldn’t have provided a contrast to the lines of the open truss gables.”

With its lengthy acreage design and Australian Hamptons look, the Fontaine provides the ultimate sanctuary on a grand scale and an affordable budget, making it the ideal family home.

Find out how to get the Australian Hamptons look at jameshardie.com.au. For more information on Metricon Homes and the Fontaine visit www.metricon.com.au.

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About James Hardie™

Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1888, James Hardie™ has become a global leader in the production of interior and exterior building products, with operations in North America, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Europe. 

With research and development and manufacturing in Australia, the innovative company created Cellulose Fibre Cement in the early 1980’s. This durable and versatile building material is used to this day to create board and sheet products such as HardiePlank™ weatherboards, HardieFlex™ cladding, HardiePanel™ Compressed flooring and Villaboard™ wall lining.

Further modernising the category, James Hardie developed Premium Fibre Cement, which it uses in a number of ranges, including its Scyon™ range of low-density, thicker and lighter weight products, that have been designed to help consumers, builders and architects create homes that offer the best of style and liveability.

When installed and maintained correctly, James Hardie™ warrants its products to be resistant to damage from cracking, moisture, rotting, fire and termites. Its products are also designed to resist shrinking, swelling and cracking resulting in the ability to hold paint longer and minimise ongoing maintenance.