When a luxury builder constructs their own family home, the result tends to be revealing. There are no client compromises, no brief to negotiate, no budget conversations to moderate. Just the unfiltered expression of everything they know about how a home should be designed, built, and lived in.
For Paul Cross and Tanya King of Cross Constructions, the award-winning Sunshine Coast builders they founded in 2018, the Bairnsdale Residence in Buderim is exactly that. Built as their own family home, it stands as both a personal statement and a professional benchmark, shaped by two decades of building experience and a precise understanding of what makes a home truly work.
Designed by Reitsma & Associates with interiors by CG Design Studio, this contemporary Sunshine Coast sanctuary is a study in restraint, comfort, and the kind of thoughtful detail that only comes from people who genuinely care about the outcome.
L-Shaped Home Design: Privacy, Nature and Connection on the Sunshine Coast
The brief Paul and Tanya set for themselves was clear from the start: a home that offered privacy from the street and neighbouring properties, while keeping every room in genuine visual connection with the landscape surrounding it.
The solution was an L-shaped floor plan that wraps around lush native gardens, drawing the outdoors into daily life with an ease that feels entirely at home on the Sunshine Coast. Every room looks out to the planting. Every space breathes. The boundary between inside and out is deliberately, consistently blurred.
“We loved the idea of a home that offered privacy from the street and surrounding neighbours,” Tanya explains. “We also wanted each room to have a connection to the Australian native landscaping.”
The Design Anchor: Curved Void and Taj Mahal Quartzite Kitchen
At the heart of the Bairnsdale Residence sits a soaring double-height void with a curved white balustrade, an element the family had admired in a new build they’d seen in Victoria and known immediately they wanted for their own home. That curved void became the architectural anchor of the entire design, drawing the sky indoors and creating a visual centrepiece that connects both levels with genuine drama.
From there, every other design decision followed a single material lead. “The house was designed around that curved void on the upper level and Taj Mahal Quartzite natural stone in the kitchen and butler’s pantry,” Tanya reflects. “Every design choice thereafter, including joinery, tiles, and paint colours, was determined by the Taj Mahal stone in the kitchen.”
It’s a discipline that pays off throughout. The home has a coherence and calm that comes from every element answering to a single, considered palette.
Natural Materials That Age Gracefully in a Hillside Setting
Soft-toned brick, natural stone, timber, and concrete ground the home in its Buderim hillside site, chosen as much for how they’ll age as for how they look today. These are materials that settle quietly into a landscape rather than competing with it, developing character over time rather than dating quickly.
The native landscaping, designed by Prandium Studio and installed by Instyle Habitats, was conceived organically, with curves echoing the home’s internal curved void and curved brick walls softening the front facade. Brick was a personal priority for Tanya, who incorporated it into the front courtyard and as a curved retaining wall in the back garden, a nod to the 1970s architecture she has always admired.
Warm, Understated Interiors by CG Design Studio
Inside, CG Design Studio crafted interiors that feel warm, grounded, and beautifully understated. The palette rests on soft neutrals and natural textures, layered with intention rather than opulence. The generous kitchen, with its finely detailed oak joinery, anchors the ground floor. The upper-level retreat offers a coastal panorama stretching toward the horizon. Light plays throughout, with the double-height void drawing the sky deep into the heart of the home.
“We have worked with Reitsma & Associates and the CG Design Studio team on multiple projects,” Tanya says. “They have a unique ability to understand a vision and deliver it with confidence.”
Outdoor Living Designed for the Sunshine Coast Climate
The north-facing alfresco terrace and pool form the heart of outdoor living at the Bairnsdale Residence by Cross Constructions, positioned to catch Buderim’s sunlight while remaining private and protected. Sliding doors dissolve the boundary between inside and out, creating a relaxed, generous setting for long summer afternoons and breezy Sunshine Coast evenings.
With Paul’s background as a carpenter and more than two decades in the industry, the craftsmanship throughout is refined without being fussy. Materials were chosen for longevity and low maintenance. The whole home carries the hallmark of a team deeply invested in both the process and the outcome.
Related article: Inside a modern luxury home in Doonan on the Sunshine Coast
What It Feels Like to Live in a Luxury Home Built With Care
What defines the Bairnsdale Residence above all else is atmosphere. Not scale, not grandeur, but a profound sense of calm that comes from clear intention and genuinely thoughtful design.
“We have now sold and moved out of the home — sadly, there were lots of tears!” Tanya reflects. “But we loved sitting in the living room and looking out to the backyard and pool area. We were surrounded by beautiful, established trees. It was the ultimate place to retreat.”
It’s a sentiment that says everything about what this home achieves. Embraced by nature and built by its makers, the Bairnsdale Residence is a warm, contemporary Sunshine Coast sanctuary designed for living well.
Builder: Cross Constructions | crossconstructions.com.au | @crossconstructions
