A five-star home away from home on Australia's most exclusive island
Island House, Lord Howe Island
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Lord Howe Island, with its turquoise waters, volcanic outcrops, lush vegetation and boisterous abundance of bird and sea life, sets a high bar. So when Tim Maxwell and his father, Michael, set out to replace their block of 1970s flats near fish-frenzied Ned's Beach, they took years debating how to best use the island's unique beauty, time-worn solidity and ongoing sustainability as a template. The result is Island House – really two houses, North and South – a built-to-last getaway for friends or family groups who value connection to people and nature, good food, art, books and music.
The look
Brooding island icon Mount Gower is not going anywhere; neither is architect-designed Island House, thanks to its hardwood and copper construction, oak-lined interiors, Italian marble, wide floorboards and four-metre ceilings. The agony and eventual ecstasy of a four-year build, which started in 2016 and tackled distance, storms, windswept barges, post-pandemic shortages and well-meaning suggestions to try-it-the-easier-way, reinforced the Maxwells' determination to build this property once and once only. The result is a private retreat that appears to have grown out of the island alongside ancient banyans and kentia palms.
Both two-bedroom houses offer chef's kitchens and bars, Cheminees Philippe fireplaces, ceiling fans and extensive decks. Light-filled interiors are dressed with mid-century Danish furniture, Japanese ceramics and an eclectic mix of books, music, and Indigenous and other paintings and sculptures. A deck/dining area straddling the two properties acts as a communal space if, or when, the pavilion-style houses want to get together.
The room
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