Like many others, Deborah Hutton used the Covid moment to reassess: the former model turned media personality had been happily living in Bronte, in what she thought of as her “forever house”. “It was an easy reno, with a great view,” she says in that unmistakably throaty voice which is as recognisable as her face (of which more later).

But with lockdowns came a different perspective: “I loved the stillness. After Covid, Sydney felt hectic and Bronte felt congested. I had a friend in Otford so I knew the area and I came down with my partner [meditation teacher Andrew Marsh, who runs a studio in Thirroul] for a week and that was it. Now I don’t want to go to the city unless I have to, and I really don’t want to put on heels,” she says emphatically.

A pair of Hard Yakka boots on the front porch of the cottage she is renting attest to the fact that something is going on: a few hundred metres away is the building site where Deborah is in the very early stages of a project that will take up the next 16 months: the construction of her new home, designed by Sydney architect Walter Barda.

In 2022, Deborah bought a block in Wombarra that comes with significant geotechnical challenges. Part of her property slid away into the ocean during the heavy storms of 2023, but that did not discourage her. “It just presented me with an opportunity to listen and to learn from local experts. I am using a pilings system that is uniquely suited to the Illawarra and the instability of the area. So there’s no fear, except of course, in the budget,” she laughs .

“I had to tell Walter that the house had to be made thinner and longer because the block is narrow and deep so that if you want to see the water you have to go a long way forward. It’s like you have a couture dress and you ask the designer to take it from a size 14 to a size 10,” says the former magazine editor, known for her ability to pull off both casual style and red carpet glamour.

The brief for the three-bedroom, two-storey house prioritises sustainability. “I’m using a more sustainable kind of weatherboard, everything is going to be electric, even the concrete is recycled and I’m pulling back on joinery and sourcing pieces of furniture from auction houses instead,” says Deborah, who is documenting every stage of the process as a television project.

“I have a very targeted demographic of followers on Instagram, basically engaged boomers who are at a similar stage of life, thinking about renovations and home improvements. I am not a goal setter but I do know how to take the opportunities that have come my way,” she says of a career that has included designing a range of homewares and, more recently, hats.

These came about because of the episode that brought Hutton face to face, literally, with cancer: despite regular skin checks because of her fair complexion, she developed two basal cell carcinomas that required surgery and risked compromising her appearance – for a while, she sported an impressive scar that gave her a lopsided smile. Not one to waste an experience that could be a teachable moment, she posted images of her wound that some found shocking – intentionally.

The result was a call from Rigon Headwear, a company in Gosford that had pioneered a material – Flexibraid – with an inbuilt SPF 50. “Most hats give you shade, but not sun protection. My range, Canopy Bay, also have the merit of being easy to pack,” says Deborah, who has also created a special collection for golfers like herself. Her top sellers are the Malibu – reportedly a favourite with Queen Mary of Denmark – and the Parsley Bay.

These days Deborah, who is not very good at saying no, tries to help all cancer awareness organisations. Her commitment to raising public awareness of skin cancer earned her a gong in the King’s Birthday Honours in June, when Deborah received an OAM for her services to community health and the media. As if this were not enough, she is an enthusiastic supporter of the Coledale RSL – “it’s such a heart-warming example of community” – and is currently helping out with a colour refresh to upgrade the ladies bathrooms.

You could say that Hutton wears many hats – not just the ones she creates for Canopy Bay – but for the next few months, until the weather warms, you are more likely to spot her wearing a hard shell while she visits her building site. And if anyone can rock a high vis vest to match, it will be her.