How bold would you dare to go if you had the luxury of distance? Presented with the opportunity to design the dream holiday home in the heavenly NSW coastal town of Cabarita, this was a challenge owner Gemma Pranita was willing to face head-on. The answer? About as bold as it gets.
For the photographer and co-host of podcast We Don’t Have Time For This, getting to call Cabarita (a second) home was a dream come true, one that saw her, along with her young family, embark on an intense, rollercoaster ride of a renovation, transforming a sleepy shack into a wonderland of daring colour and playful pattern with a full-tilt reinvigoration of Gemma’s self-proclaimed “life palette”.
“I work from home and my kids are crazy, so I intentionally designed our Sydney house to be a very Zen environment with a neutral and soft design direction,” says Gemma. “So I knew I wanted the holiday house to be the antithesis of that!” And diverge she did. The kaleidoscopic Palm Springs palette was a “strategic choice” as well as an emotive one, according to Gemma, who scoured the local Airbnb market for a gap worth filling. “Knowing all the holiday rentals in the area were thematically similar – think Mediterranean whites, timber and rattan everywhere – I wanted to offer something that didn’t already exist.” Thus, the aptly named Yo Caba Caba was born.
Having spent some time living in LA, Gemma’s fond memories of nearby Palm Springs and its magnetic energy was the starting point for the inspired palette. “Having no background in design meant I approached this with an underlying sense of freedom,” says Gemma. “It came down to what makes me happy. Holidays are meant to be fun and everywhere I look in this house, I can’t help but smile!”
As anyone who has taken on a renovation – let alone one from a remote location – knows, planning is the key to success, but Gemma’s militant deadline meant there was little room for error.
“The initial three-week timeline was arguably a tough deadline to meet,” she says of the original plan to overhaul every inch of the home in less than a month. “Although that blew out, from start to finish the entire renovation was completed in just seven weeks” – a total coup considering that their tiler walked out halfway through the job. “That was the most daunting part,” says Gemma of the quest to secure a string of tradies willing (and able) to meet her strict deadline. “After some initial leads courtesy of local friends, we found a few trades who we vibed with and were able to suggest some trusted partners.”
So, how far out do you need to plan for this type of project? “I’d say we started looking about six months before the build in preparation for the September start date – and I was consistently checking in and confirming we were on track the whole way.”
The finished project speaks to Gemma’s commitment to creating a home that was both a visual and tactile delight but, most importantly, “was envisioned for our family first and an Airbnb second – not the other way round.”
Gemma’s little black book of trades
Too Good Carpentry
Chris Gardener tiling
Keith Bryant wallpaper installation
A Schwartz Designs landscaping
There were, however, reservations about the kitchen design: “I remember thinking, ‘Oh Gem, really? Pink and blue? It’s like a bad gender-reveal party,’ but once I leaned into it, the rest of the home just fell into place.”
The revelation of embracing colour and pattern in a way that she had, up until this point, shied away from, was a liberating experience in itself, allowing her to craft a unique escape that provides everything (and more) anyone could hope for in a holiday home. “What we worked really hard on was creating a place that you didn’t feel the need to leave,”says Gemma.
And why would you? If the instant boost to the senses isn’t enough, the glorious outdoor pool area – complete with fire pit, barbecue, cricket-ready garden and ample space to wine and dine – will seal the deal. “My husband always says he wants people to walk in, strip down to their swimmers and pop the rosé; it offers that sense of fun, but also a feeling of being at home, where you’re able to take a breath and really unwind.”
And as for her Sydney home? Gemma is on it. “I already have plans to renovate our bathroom using colour. It’s an addiction. Once you’ve designed a colourful house, nothing else sparks joy quite like it. It’s like dopamine dressing for the home!”
Book your stay at Yo Caba Caba
Yo Caba Caba sleeps 10 in four bedrooms with two bathrooms and starts from $800 per night; @yo_caba_caba and @gemma_peanut. You can book your stay via Airbnb.