19 October 2018

‘More bling, more punch’

‘More bling, more punch’


You can’t blame the high-end homes of bayside Melbourne for embracing the summer, but how does their design reflect the rest of the year? It’s a conundrum answered in built form by architects Bayley Ward at Caspian, a Hampton development of 18 residences that they call “a home for all seasons”.

Bayley Ward director Nick Readett-Bayley pinpoints the meticulous planning and detail that sets Caspian apart from the “typical beach houses” in the area.

“We workshopped the angles from the beginning and wanted to have a point of difference,” he says. “We’re not a design practice that makes anything wishy-washy, and that tends to be the approach in Hampton – the palette in that part of Melbourne is a little bleached-out and whitewashed – while we tried to inject texture and layering.”

He and fellow director Richard Newling-Ward took inspiration from work their firm’s own high-end house designs – Portsea is a favourite stomping ground of their clients – and the waterside wonders of Sydney Harbour....