WHEN it comes to seeing the potential for beauty in a house, Michelle Barber and Ed Gregson have a singular knack. After leaving their Potts Point apartment in inner Sydney in 2000, the couple searched every surf beach between Ballina and Noosa for their dream abode. They found it in New Brighton, though not everyone shared their joy. When my mother came to see the house for the first time, she cried, says Ed of his late parent, the acclaimed novelist Thea Astley. It is hard now to imagine weeping with anything but joy at the elegance of the architecturally remodelled beach house. On the partially enclosed veranda, a cool breeze lifts off the garden and offers some respite from the cloying heat below. The sea rolls and crashes rhythmically in the background. LONG JOURNEY But back then Theas tears were understandable. The home was little more than the original 1920s fishermans shack that was once floated down the Brunswick River by barge to be stumped in place. It was a nine by nine-metre box, Gregson says. There were two power points, no phone and no back door. The termites had been through; only the cockroaches were left, adds Barber, his partner of 25 years. They were everywhere. You had to wear shoes in the night in case you stepped on them. Friends wondered what possessed the couple to pay good money for such a place. Predictably, now that the renovations are complete, the same friends wonder how Ed and Michelle could ever contemplate leaving. Barber, a former television make-up artist, says, I love the process of transformation. Like Gregson, a television writer and producer, her passion for the dramatic changes in their home is obvious so much so the couple are thinking about doing it again. When it comes to changing a house, Michelle has learnt two valuable lessons: know exactly what you want and employ an architect. It's like watching someone who can sew, she says. They turn a garment inside out and know exactly what they are doing, when to everyone else it looks baffling and confusing. The architect who streamlined their vision was Coolangatta-based Paul Uhlmann. The design of our house looks incredibly simple and obvious, but it would not have been without Paul, Barber says. The layout is simple. Two box-shaped structures are joined by a light-filled corridor. One wing contains the master bedroom, study and double bathroom; the other contains the living area, kitchen, guest bedroom and ensuite. Decks, balconies or verandas jut from most rooms, injecting the simple structure with an element of surprise. Guests are frequent but the separate living spaces allow the couple privacy when needed. Even when theyre home alone, solitude can be found by simply closing the glass door that seals one wing from the other. Although Barber fondly refers to New Brighton as the land that time forgot, the couple love their relaxed lifestyle. We do a lot more entertaining, says Michelle, who finds delicacies at the fishmonger or the organic butcher in nearby Byron Bay. Where once wed go to a bar after work, now home is a bar, adds Gregson, summarising the changes to their social life since quitting Sydney for the coast. It's not all lazing around, protests Barber. We did do a yoga class once! Indeed, Gregson, a keen golfer and music lover, is enthusiastic about still being able to play a round on top golf courses and see touring performers. He recalls seeing Brisbane-based jazz guitarist James Sherlock play in a small hinterland hall. Were terribly spoilt, he says with a smile. KEEPING IT SIMPLE THE houses beachside style follows the simple formula of white walls and timber floors but the couple took risks elsewhere. The bathroom, for example, is tiled in a mosaic with a pearl-like finish and boasts a benchtop made from thickly veined Calacutta marble. I'd wake up in the middle of the night thinking, What possessed me to choose pink and blue tiles with a shimmer?, Barber says. I can see why people make such conservative decisions when renovating you only have one shot at getting it right. The bathroom is now Michelles favourite part of the house. Gregson, on the other hand, nominates the vista as his greatest pleasure. Were up in the treetops now … [...]