Words Maria Reed Photos Warren Reed
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS What does home mean to you? Is it a place of sanctuary . . . a statement . . . or an expression of who you are? Its meanings can be as broad and varied as the people who live in them. We explore the idea of home, and how to create your dream escape with Darren Brown, an award-winning building designer, family man and avid surfer . . . Darren explains, “To me home means family. It’s where you spend your time together with those that matter. It has to function well for your family and your lifestyle, and if it’s done well, I think it should give you that feeling of ‘Ahhhh. . . I’m home’ every time you turn into the driveway.” As the proud father of four active children he understands the challenges of creating a home that works. “I draw on my own experience and apply that to my knowledge as a building designer to help create beautiful, functional homes that work for my clients. Living by the coast is a dream many aspire to. “I grew up Wonthaggi and finished my schooling at the local Tech. I got my qualifications in Melbourne, but my passion for the coast, the environment and our community kept drawing me back. My wife Leanne and I have great kids, and we regularly go camping together with family and friends. I love surfing, and Leanne and the kids do too. We have a ball together by the coast, and it’s made me very attuned to the elements – and how we interact with them. While designing and building your dream home can be a life-changing experience, for the uninitiated it can be a daunting process. Darren says, “For me, it’s all about building relationships. We want to demystify the whole process of designing to build, and help people feel comfortable. Walking into our office to have a chat doesn’t involve any commitment. Let’s see if we connect. If we do, that’s great; we’ll have a conversation and create a great design. We just want you to have a good experience.” “When people come to design a project, we try to take away the fear factor. It was part of the reason we built our display home, so people get the feeling they are coming to our home – it’s more relaxing and friendly. It gives us the space to focus on our clients, how they want to live and what is important to them. When all’s said and done, I want our clients to see their completed home or building project and think, ‘I’m so glad I did that!’ There can be a lot of complexity going on in the background, but the ease of the process is what we want people to experience: you know . . . the fun stuff. We look after everything from start to finish. We project-manage the whole design and documentation process. We’ll organise consultants, soil tests, energy ratings and engineers who are required to get >
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