'I must have fought every designer': Inside Deborah Hutton's Hamptons-inspired renovation

As far as extensive home renovations go, rarely do they finish on time, let alone a month early.

But when TV presenter Deborah Hutton decided to overhaul her coastal property, she had such a clear vision, a united team and a steadfast desire for the project to come together quickly that it finished a month ahead of schedule – nine months after it began.

“I still can’t believe I did all this in nine months,” Hutton says.

“It helped that I had a defined understanding of what the house was and what it needed to be. I could visualise the space, how the light hit it through the day, which parts of the house are visible from outside and so on.”

The Hamptons-inspired home was a passion project for the media personality, who said she “poured her heart and soul into it” and wanted the space to be a beach house that felt like home.

Affectionately dubbed the “The Beach Hutt”, the house has elements of her grandparents’ traditional weatherboard Queenslander and a beach house she used to own and is also infused with her own personal style.

Key features of the revamp are the exterior white weatherboards which wrap around the facade of the home.

“One of my first big decisions was choosing Linea Weatherboard. I had this vision of the light and shadow effect you see in coastal and Hamptons houses, so when I saw the Linea Weatherboards and found out they were more durable than timber and needed less touch-ups I knew I wanted them for my home,” she says.

Hutton said she struggled to convince her team that she wanted the staircase in the middle of her living room, certain that it could be a focal point of the space in and of itself.

“I think I must have fought every designer, architect and builder on the staircase,” she said.

“Everyone told me to move it to a corner, but I knew that I wanted to see that view straight on. I also love the way that the brightness of the ceiling with all that detail leads your eye toward the sky.”

The TV presenter says her favourite pieces in the home are the oversized sofas in the living room and striking pendants over the kitchen.

“The house feels more like home than it ever did because I’ve had so much input,” she says.

“The layout of the fireplace, windows and furniture comes from a beach house I used to own.

“It’s the space I had laid out in my mind first and I ordered my oversized three-seater sofas from America a year in advance, even though everyone warned me it would be a nightmare [but] it was fine. The same goes for the Ralph Lauren lights that hang over the kitchen bench – the wait was worth it.”

For Hutton, it’s more than just a coastal home infused with light and beautiful interiors; it’s a place that feels like a retreat reflective of her memories and her lifestyle.

“I think I’ve made more than a pretty house. While I love how it looks, it’s the way the home is tailor made to my memories, my interests and my lifestyle, even down to the name, that makes it special to me.

“From the moment I see the weatherboards gleaming in the sun and the palm trees moving in the wind, I know it’s the home I want to come home to.”