House Built from Boat Shed on Australia's Coast

Steel sheet structures in the outback of Queensland are typical for rural areas across the country: such buildings usually house garages or fishing storage sheds. But once you push aside the sliding door, you'll find a home worthy of admiration. Unique.

To be precise, Bruce and Liz Willment own two former sheds on a three-hectare property. But let's take it in order.

Liza and Bruce are from Brisbane. After the birth of their fourth child, they decided to move closer to the quiet coast of Sunshine Coast. Liza wanted a more moderate lifestyle and to work nearby.

Three years ago, the shed housed a boat workshop where they built boats. Initially, the Willments saw the purchased shed as a temporary shelter for just a few years at most. They planned their dream home.

Meanwhile, Liza restructured the open space into several zones for a large family. Her professional skills in decoration and props helped her transform the spacious corrugated box beyond recognition: she used items left by the former owner, a boat builder named Frank.

Improvised bookshelves for the family library from an old ladder and a few planks. In the living room, fishing oars, modern artist paintings, and linen canvas prints are mixed with each other. Fishing nets hanging from the ceiling helped visually define zones.

Rent prices were rising, and time passed: gradually they set up the kitchen, bathroom, three bedrooms… and realized that another house wasn’t needed anymore. They fell in love with this one.

The family has a name that is untranslatable from English: shouse – a hybrid of shed (shed) and house (home).

There's enough space for the children: son Sebastian and three daughters, Matiss, Paris, and Anais. There are also pets, one of them is Koa, a Border Collie-Kelpie mix (an Australian cattle dog).

The massive dining table, already old, was moved here with the owners: they were gifted it at their wedding. The various items in the interior coexist peacefully, just like they should in a large and loving family.

The high ceilings allowed Liza to reconfigure the layout and place all necessary items on the mezzanine levels.

The fireplace in the living room, furniture, wooden surfaces, and other building materials were sourced from free online classifieds. They blend organically with vintage items and artworks in the interior.

The youngest daughter, Anais, born as a reason for the move, is proud of her bedroom. The wardrobe unit from an old branch is suspended by rope from the ceiling. A handmade hammock in the garden is where she spends much of her time. There’s plenty of land around the house to plant citrus trees, grow vegetables and herbs in a garden.

Liza and Bruce are creative people, and their children grow up in the most suitable environment. It’s only ten minutes to the nearest town, and it's easy to imagine oneself as the first settlers around a campfire in the backyard.

The kitchen is bright, despite dark light fixtures and cabinet doors. The combination of textures and colors emphasizes the relaxed warmth of the atmosphere inside the house.

The rustic vanity top for the bathroom was purchased on an online marketplace. Liza sewed the linen curtains in a hessian style herself. The French linen tablecloth in Liza’s hands turned into a quilt for the guest bedroom. The homeowner jokingly calls herself a “trendy collector”: hunting for interesting items with stories is her passion.

Liza’s dream of working from home came true. Remember the second shed?

It houses their family business: Atelier 34 serves as a meeting place for the community of artists and performers. Like-minded individuals and friends exchange ideas and secrets of craftsmanship: painting, ceramics, textiles and weaving, floristry.

Music often plays. Places for clay workshops fill up quickly. Liza decorates rooms with compositions made from plants. Uniqueness is created by hand and, of course, heart.