Architect Carla Middleton’s Light-Filled Beach House for Sale in Tamarama
An architect’s own home, this Tamarama beach house has been created with love.
2 min
Ideally placed between Bondi and Bronte beaches, with Tamarama’s pint-sized strip of sand just a short walk away, architect Carla Middleton’s personal project was a labour of love and location.
The one-time sombre semi on Tamarama St had been a classic 1910s Federation home in need of some TLC, but thanks to the modern transformation, the revived residence is a light-filled family retreat made for coastal living.
As a result, Tama House has been showcased in design publications such as Habitus Living, House & Garden as well as The Local Project.
Listed with Charlie Beaumont and Alexa Duffy of PPD, the designer beach house will go to auction on April 9 with a price guide of $6.9m.
When Carla and her husband Chris bought the narrow and dark dwelling in 2012, their first priority was to accommodate their growing family while also injecting their own personal touch.
Bringing in loads of natural light was top of the brief while the long 309sq m block allowed for an innovative approach to the improved floor plan that is now flexible enough to move with a family through various stages of life.
Every detail has been carefully considered, which is to be expected for the planned forever home of an award-winning architect. Fine finishes include European oak floors, custom joinery, and acoustic QuietWave insulation in the first-floor addition. It also features Brodware tapware throughout, custom linen curtains by Pip Casey Interiors and lighting by Cult, Tovo and Coco Flip.
Now the five-bedroom, three-bathroom home, complete with a home office, has retained some of its period charm while also adopting some 21st century functionality.
North-facing skylights, picture windows, and large sliding doors illuminate the home, while a dramatic 7m void crowning the living zone adds to the sense of volume and grandeur.
The new design embraces the home’s gable roofline, extending it in an asymmetrical form and the savvy use of glass means the trees, clouds, stars, and sun are on show throughout the day.
Honouring its Federation roots, the home still has its wide arched hallway and ornate 3.4m ceilings in the front bedrooms, while the rear extension – wrapped in James Hardie fibre-cement cladding – has a contemporary stamp.
In the sophisticated kitchen there are Caesarstone Cloudburst surfaces, a Miele induction cooktop, Neff slide and hide oven, and a coffee station. On each floor there are full bathrooms and the ground level houses a large laundry with convenient side yard access.
A cocktail bar has been cleverly tucked under the dining room stairs and the voluminous lounge flows out to a private barbecue deck made of spotted gum and a garden designed by Pepo Botanic. To the rear of the block, a separate studio office with air conditioning is a tranquil break away space.
On the upper level there are three big bedrooms including a main with a walk-in wardrobe and a shower ensuite with twin vanities.
Sitting on one of Tamarama’s most sought after streets behind an original Federation facade, the home has parking for two cars, is in Bondi Public School’s catchment area, and is close to beautiful beaches, ocean pools and South Bondi’s vibrant dining.
Tama House is on the market with Charlie Beaumont and Alexa Duffy of PPD. The home is set to go to auction on April 9 with a price guide of $6.2m.
Limited to 630 units, Lamborghini’s latest Urus Capsule pushes personalisation further than ever, blending hybrid performance with over 70 bespoke design combinations.
From snow-dusted valleys to festival-filled autumns, Bhutan reveals itself as a rare destination where culture, nature and spirituality unfold year-round.
New research shows a widening divide across Australia and New Zealand’s property markets, with investors increasingly forced to look beyond traditional strongholds to find real returns.
3 min
By any traditional measure, Australia’s property market should be moving in sync. Instead, it is fragmenting.
New research from MaxCap, led by Head of Research Bruce Wan, paints a picture of a market no longer defined by national trends, but by sharp regional divergence, where performance gaps between cities are widening, and the smartest capital is moving accordingly.
At the top end of the ladder, Perth and southeast Queensland are surging ahead. At the other, Melbourne and Auckland are only just beginning to recover from recent downturns. And sitting squarely in the middle is Sydney, steady but constrained.
The takeaway is clear: the era of relying on headline markets is over.
The rise of the unexpected leaders
Brisbane and the broader southeast Queensland region have emerged as standout performers, driven by population growth, infrastructure investment and a sustained undersupply of housing.
According to the report, housing values in the region have continued to accelerate, supported by long-term tailwinds including the 2032 Olympic Games and a decade of relatively subdued price growth prior.
Perth is telling a similar story, albeit for different reasons. Once heavily tied to commodity cycles, the Western Australian capital is now benefiting from a broader base of economic drivers, including defence spending and sustained resource sector strength.
The result is a housing market that remains one of the strongest in the country, even as price growth begins to ease from its peak.
Sydney holds, but doesn’t lead
For Sydney, the story is more nuanced.
While prices continue to climb and the city remains Australia’s most expensive market, affordability constraints are clearly limiting its pace. Residential growth, while positive, lags behind smaller capitals, and commercial sectors are being held back by softer demand in key industries.
There are, however, signs of momentum building. New infrastructure, including the western Sydney Airport and expanded rail networks, is expected to unlock development opportunities and support future growth, particularly in emerging precincts.
Still, the report positions Sydney firmly in the “middle of the pack”, no longer the automatic frontrunner for investors.
Melbourne’s slow reset
Melbourne, once a consistent performer, has spent recent years recalibrating.
Extended lockdowns, combined with new state property taxes, have weighed heavily on investor sentiment and pricing, particularly across the commercial office sector. Residential values have also underperformed, though for different structural reasons.
Now, there are early signs of recovery.
Improved affordability, population growth and a stabilising economic backdrop are beginning to draw buyers back into the market, with both residential and commercial sectors showing tentative signs of improvement.
Auckland’s turning point
Across the Tasman, Auckland has faced its own challenges, particularly from an outflow of younger workers to Australia, which has dampened demand and stalled price growth.
But here too, the tide appears to be shifting.
A return to positive migration, lower interest rates and policy changes — including the easing of foreign buyer restrictions — are expected to support a gradual recovery, alongside renewed interest from offshore capital.
A market that rewards precision
If there is one unifying theme, it is this: broad-brush strategies no longer work.
MaxCap’s research highlights that the most compelling opportunities are increasingly found outside the traditional powerhouses of Sydney and Melbourne, requiring investors to take a more targeted, locally informed approach.
“Given these persistent performance gaps, there is plentiful scope for alpha returns, just by picking the right locations and market segments,” the report notes.
In other words, success in this market is no longer about being in property — it is about being in the right property, in the right place, at the right time.
And increasingly, that place may not be where you expect.
Parts for iPhones to cost more owing to surging demand from AI companies.
From Italian vegetable-tanned leather to real-world training insight, Australian brand PK9 Gear is redefining what luxury means for discerning dog owners.
