The Design Files: Inside the 1970s home celebrating relaxed beach culture

Who: Property developer and entrepreneur Michael McCormack of Milieu and his wife Laura, a speech pathologist.

Where: Point Lonsdale, Victoria

What: 1970s beach house

The Point Lonsdale home of property developer and entrepreneur Michael McCormack of Milieu, and his wife Laura, a speech pathologist, represents relaxed Australian beach culture at its best.

This home, built in the 1970s, brings together distinctive cedar timber panelling, soaring raked ceilings, and a charming hodge-podge of salvaged furniture and treasured pieces – including an upright piano from Laura’s childhood, and Michael’s much-loved surfboard collection.

It’s a surprisingly humble, rambling home – the quintessential, laid-back Australian beach house, in fact.

And much like the creative couple who live here, this place is both disarmingly relaxed and also unassuming.

Both Michael and Laura spent summer holidays growing up in Point Lonsdale, and have many happy memories from their childhoods here.

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Keen to buy in the area, the pair came across their home five years ago, after it had lingered on a local agent’s sales list for some time.

After moving in, Michael and Laura made a few basic updates and additions to their home – but have left much of the home untouched.

A dividing wall between the living space and kitchen was removed, and the kitchen updated simply, with the addition of a large industrial work bench and new appliances.

The pair also replaced all the flooring, and painted throughout, but retained many original elements, such as the kitchen cabinetry.

Laura and Michael divide their time between their relaxed, beachside home and an apartment in Princes Hill in Melbourne.

There’s still a lot on the “to do” list here, but Michael and Laura are in no great hurry.

“We still need to finish the laundry, and Mike wants to build a studio for work – however, I suspect it’s for his surfboards!” Laura mentions.

If the ultimate Australian dream is to own your own home, then the ultimate stretch goal must surely be to acquire an Aussie beach-side weekender?

While certainly not within everyone’s reach, heading down to the humble beach shack for a sleepy weekend by the ocean is a long-standing Australian tradition.

How to make a weekender work

• Double up! After a busy week in Melbourne, Michael and Laura love having everything on hand in Point Lonsdale, including old clothes.
• Michael’s magazine subscriptions often find a home at the beach house for weekend reading as he rarely finds time during the week.
• Always have pantry essentials for when you arrive late on Friday: no chance of Uber eats here!
• A beach house should be carefree: fancy furniture will stress you out. “We have friends use it whenever they want, and also lease out occasionally, so it’s good not to worry too much about precious pieces,” says Michael.