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Amanda’s coastal home office, a peaceful retreat

A peaceful place for clients and guests.

Amanda’s Melwood cabana home office exudes a calm ambience, with natural timber colours contrasted by textural accents. Boasting a coastal view, what more could you want from a backyard retreat?

“I love working from home. If I didn’t have the cabana, it would be very difficult to have clients here. It’s invaluable.”

A peaceful meeting space

“It’s like a time-out room. When I’m in here, I feel like I’ve gone to work because I’ll be up here for hours. Then, I re-enter the house like I’ve driven to work,” Amanda tells us.

As a counsellor, Amanda needed a dedicated private space away from the main house. It was important that this space provided a peaceful environment for meeting her clients.

“It’s been very beneficial for us…It’s lovely to have a separate space for the clients I have,” she says. “Working in a peaceful environment and doing counselling sessions makes a huge difference to how vulnerable people want to be.“

Impressive design flexibility

The multipurpose Melwood has enabled Amanda and her family to make use of the dead space at the top of their steep yard, and it has also become the main entertaining area in summer.

Amanda chose the Melwood Mod 20, with additional glass doors across the front to maximise the coastal view. She personalised her design with wrap-around decking, Board and Batten cladding, and custom highlights; an aesthetically pleasing way to maximise the natural light inside her studio.

“I was impressed by the flexibility of the design,” Amanda recalls.

Calming aesthetics

Painting the cladding white to mirror her aluminium windows and “Surfmist” Colorbond® roofing, Amanda has accentuated the coastal feel by enhancing the natural timber tones of her doors and pine decking, providing a calming design atmosphere, essential for her clients.

“It’s high-level anxiety when they arrive. But, by the time they walk up to the cabana, everyone immediately says, ‘I feel so much more relaxed,” she explains.

Not just a home office

With the addition of a beautiful decking area to the side, Amanda’s Melwood has become more than just a home office. It’s the perfect space to have a few drinks with friends whilst enjoying the breathtaking views and ocean breeze.

“In summer, I have the whole cabana open if we are having drinks or entertaining, and even when I work,” Amanda tells us. “It’s so peaceful. That’s a comment I get a lot.”


Amanda chose the Melwood Mod 20, with additional glass doors to the front.

She personalised her design with wrap-around decking, Board and Batten cladding, and custom highlights.


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