The Hamilton and Dune houses on Kangaroo Island are the story of two families, one beach, 50 years and a remarkable art collection. Georgina Safe takes a look inside these enviable art destinations.
Nestled just 100 metres from the pristine sands and clear waters of Emu Bay, where owners Emily and Richard Young met and fell in love, two houses combine the quintessential Australian beach lifestyle with the best of national and international contemporary art.
The story of the two holiday homes, names Hamilton House and Dune House, began half a century ago with Emily’s parents, who began visiting from Adelaide each summer for holidays filled with fishing, snorkelling and sunning with their daughters.
The couple built a shack at Emu Bay, where Emily eventually met Richard, son of a neighbouring family. They were married within a year by the beach.
When Richard’s mother Josie passed away, her son and Emily bought his family’s 1960s weatherboard shack, today called Hamilton House. They then built a second contemporary dwelling, Dune House, on the site overlooking the place where they met, and today rent out both so visitors can experience Kangaroo Island in barefoot luxury.
“There is a lack of quality accommodation on Kangaroo Island and the island needs visitors to sustain it,” says Emily. “Hamilton and Dune enable tourists to experience Kangaroo Island in the style it deserves.”
At Hamilton House that style is vintage, with furniture by the likes of Hans Wegner, Borge Mogensen and Eric Buck, including a treasured chaise lounge designed by Michael van Beuren, Klaus Grabe and Morely Webb from the 1940s.
Dune House is a contemporary build drawing on design from the 1930s to the present day. Layered with muted colours and textures to offset the concrete, glass and steel, it is rich in natural stone, timber and leather. The house features mosaic tiled bathrooms and an inviting sunken lounge in homage to American 1960s-70s architect Horace Gifford.
The interiors of both houses were created in conjunction with DeeM Studio, a Hong Kong-based design studio, which incorporated Pirelli flooring in Hamilton House and a dining pendant light which has followed the couple from Shanghai to Emu Bay.
Central to both properties is the extensive art collection Emily and Richard Young have amassed over 20 years living and working in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and on Kangaroo Island.
Hamilton House holds one of the pieces dearest to their family, the 2003 work Front Workshop and Rear Room by Yeung Tong Lung from Hong Kong.
“Our three girls grew up flicking rice bubbles on it and now they post themselves on Instagram in front of it with their friends,” says Emily, a passionate supporter of the artist who with her husband held an exhibition for him in Hong Kong in 2010.
Other favourites in Hamilton House include a worker’s mural from America, Party Time, a photograph by Samantha Everton, and Dust Over Aleppo, a 2014 work by Karen Black. You’ll also find small pieces by Nicole Kelly, Oscar Namatjira and the late Kangaroo Island-based artist Cath Cantlon.
The centrepiece of Dune House is The Longing Place by Jo Bertini, which hangs in the dining area.
“Dune House perhaps reflects the landscape more – particularly the Jo Bertini piece,” says Emily. “When I saw it I realised it was perfect for Dune House – the only time I have ever purchased a piece of art with a spot in mind.”
Other pieces include work by Andrew Sibley, John R Walker, Chris Huen, Leah Fraser, Leisl Mott and Neridah Stockley.
“There is more rolled up in the shed but it was starting to get too cluttered,” says Emily. “Maybe it’s time for another house?”
The couple’s commitment to contemporary art extends to supporting the recently launched Diana Keir Art Award on Kangaroo Island. The prize money for the award that honours the late Kangaroo Island artist will increase from $5,000 to $10,000 this year, thanks to Emily and Richard’s generosity born of a vision to build the arts on the island.
“With much focus on tourism developments such as the emerging wine and producer scene, hiking and wildlife attractions, there is also an important place for a focus on the arts in a robust tourism economy,” says Emily. “Supporting the award will enhance the breadth and calibre of participating artists, from off the island as well as locally, securing its long future and enhancing the tourist experience on the island.”
For bookings and more information on Hamilton and Dune Houses visit the website.
Featured image: In the Hamilton House hangs a vintage mural oil painting with a wall sculpture work by local artist Cath Cantlon. Photo: Heidi Lewis.