Winner of the 2025 HIA Australian Outdoor Project award represents a complete re-imagining of an existing home’s alfresco entertaining areas. Sweeping out gracefully from the house in a series of bold curves, the project seamlessly incorporates endless lifestyle options with the sophisticated appeal of a luxury resort.

When Michael Signoretti, Director of Designer Living Homes, was first approached to undertake this incredible build, he knew it would be technically demanding. ‘Designer Living Homes normally works on new builds and renovations, so we were excited by the challenge,’ he says.

The client’s brief was deceptively simple: they wanted the space to create a sense of togetherness and enable outdoor entertainment year-round. ‘They also wanted the “wow”,’ Michael says, ‘which was the inspiration for the curves.’

The striking curved forms, confidently articulated in crisp white render, are a unifying motif throughout the multi-zoned space – from the cantilevered roofline that extends over the alfresco dining area to the wide, rounded steps leading to the barbecue/outdoor kitchen and in-built fire pit, which is intimately encircled with a bench seating. An integrated cabana features an entertaining space with a bar and kitchenette, a guest suite, an in-ground spa and an infrared sauna. A swathe of lawn leads to the full-size tennis court finished to US Open standards.

‘The project was challenging due to the curved structure of the roof and slab,’ Michael says. ‘The roof was constructed with steel beams, which were bent offsite, then joined onsite. A total of eight steel beams were used.’

The tennis court also tested the team’s problem-solving skills. ‘The slab had to be near perfect with an exact one per cent fall from one end to the other for water run-off,’ Michael explains. It was surfaced with a polyurethane/ rubber/acrylic composite court system, which could only be laid during days of continuous sunshine and with a temperature between 24 and 28 degrees. ‘So, the slab had to be perfect! Timing was very important.’

The finished project, which took 38 weeks to complete, brought all the requisite ‘wow’ and then some, with the HIA judges commenting on the ‘great workmanship, detailing, design effectiveness and visual appeal’. Michael credits its success to the hard work and immense skill of the trades who partnered with him on the project, many of whom have been working with Designer Living Homes for many years.

Michael has run Designer Living Homes for the past nine years and were ‘blown away’ to win their first Australian HIA Award this year. ‘We entered this project to showcase the quality of our workmanship, but also because it represents such an achievement, being so far outside the box of the type of work we normally do,’ Michael explains. ‘It’s a testament to looking at what you do as a builder differently, being brave and growing specialised skills. Designer Living Homes NSW

Materials:

• External wall cladding: Brick render, Dulux Acratex Sienna
• Roof and cappings: COLORBOND steel Klip-Lok
• Barbecue roof: Smartblade opening roof system
• Floor coverings: VIS 900 x 900 by Abruzzo Ceramics
• Benchtops: Dekton Aura 15 Matte by Cosentino
• Internal skylight: Velux FCM range 
• Infra-red sauna: Harvia infrared with cedar panelling
• Inground spa: Glass mosaics by Abruzzo Ceramics

First published on 16 July 2025.