The Willoughby Heritage

Project Description

This beautiful home is a heritage Californian bungalow in North Willoughby — a street of established homes, mature trees and strong period character. The brief was focused: specify a roof and gutter colour ahead of a scheduled replacement, with the existing body, trims and door retained.

The challenge was not simply choosing a colour. The property sits beneath heavy tree canopy, faces glare considerations from an upstairs outlook, and carries a warm sandy body colour that needed to be honoured rather than fought. The palette also needed to work as a foundation for a future full exterior repaint — so every recommendation had to look right today and set the home up for where it was heading.

Two options were developed and presented — one built on contrast, one on tone. Both were visualised on the actual facade using Photoshop renders and supported by written rationale, flat lay mood boards, and a full exterior colour specification schedule.

The selected palette — Colorbond Windspray across roof, gutters and fascia — grounds the home in its garden setting, harmonises with the surrounding foliage, and quietly neutralises the yellow in the existing body colour before a single wall is repainted. It is a colour that feels like it has always been there.