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ENTRIES
» In association with FANULI, Australia’s leading furniture and
design brand, Belle is delighted to announce that entries are open
for the 2022 INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS » Now in its 12th
year, this prestigious awards program is committed to supporting
the creativity and innovation of the local industry by celebrating
and rewarding excellence in Australian interior design and
decoration by individuals, partnerships and design practices at
residential, hospitality and commercial levels.

2 02 2 AWA R DS CAT EG OR I E S
» BEST RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR
» BEST RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR
– READERS’ CHOICE
» BEST RESIDENTIAL KITCHEN DESIGN
» BEST RESIDENTIAL BATHROOM DESIGN
» BEST HOSPITALITY INTERIOR
» BEST COMMERCIAL INTERIOR
» BEST WORK WITH COLOUR
» EMERGING DESIGN STAR
» HALL OF FAME
» BELLE/FANULI INTERIOR
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

INTERIOR
DE SIGN S P O N S O R E D BY

AWA R D S
2022
S U P P O RT I N G S P O N S O R S

E N T R I E S C LO SE F R I DAY, SEP T E M BER 9, 2 02 2

FOR AN ENTRY KIT AND FURTHER DETAILS, PLEASE EMAIL BELLEAWARDS@AREMEDIA.COM.AU
 CONTENTS

103
BENCH PRESS
A CUSTOM OAK BENCH, A PATRICK
HARTIGAN ARTWORK, A PENDANT
J U N E /J U LY LIGHT FROM ANNA CHARLESWORTH
AND A VINTAGE TURKISH RUG MINGLE

2022 HAPPILY IN THIS HALLWAY SCHEME.

23 C H I C AG E N DA Style director-at-large
Steve Cordony reveals his latest design finds.
35 R I G H T N O W Our experts tour Melbourne
P HOTO G R A P H Y A N SON S M A RT ( S Y DN E Y H A L LWAY ), P I E R C A RT H E W (‘A F T E R H O U R S’ AT V O L K E R H AU G ST U D IO )

Design Week’s most captivating exhibitions.

56 A RT What eye-catching pieces does Belle arts
editor Harry Roberts have on his radar?
58 A RC H I T EC T U R E O’Connor and Houle
embrace architecture, interiors and landscape.
60 I N F LU E N C E S Creators of Osborn House,
interiors experts Linda Boronkay and Alan
McMahon spill their favoured creative sources.

108
66 CREATIVE SPACE Christian Dior’s beloved 30
Avenue Montaigne salon has expanded to
encompass much more than haute couture.
73 DRIVING IN CARS The new plug-in hybrid
Lexus NX impresses while on tour in Hobart.
89 LIBRARY Volumes from design-savvy authors.
91 ST Y L E E T I Q U E T T E Soft furnishings will

REGULARS
make your space feel more luxurious.
melbourNe Design REPORT
93 CREATIVE SPACE Wyer & Co’s new workplace
W I T H K A R E N M C C A RT N E Y & S A R A H -J A N E P Y K E

sanctuary is a tribute to nature. 18 Masthead and

99 BELLE BAZAAR Top picks from a design lover.
Reading the room
ELEGANT ECLECTICISM FROM POT TS POINT TO TOOR AK Privacy Notice

103 MAN Fame is the name of the game. 21 Editor’s Letter

104 WOMAN Stage your own 80s revival. 178 The Office ...
Fineworks

home
Paddington

23
35 couture

OUR COVER Photography Anson Smart

FOR YOUR DRIVING PLE A SURE

hobart’s art
&
design hotspots

107 HOM ES
108 SY D N E Y Award-winning design practice Arent&Pyke mixes styles and
eras to re-imagine a Federation home for a vibrant young family.
118 SY D N E Y On an iconic beach with a history, a chic bayside apartment
takes joy in a curated selection of heritage pieces sourced from Paris.
126 M E L B O U R N E See how this interior designer reinvented her own home.
134 SY D N E Y Saved from demolition, this inner-city home is a talking point.
144 M E L B O U R N E Light hands lifted spirits in this dark Edwardian beauty.
152 M E L B O U R N E A Victorian villa becomes an entertaining presence.
162 SY D N E Y A new build melds seamlessly into its beach surrounds.
170 GA R D E N Sandstone elements and carefully selected plant
materials create a glowing impression in this inner-city garden.

17
 EASY
TO
E N T E R TA I N
E D I TO R I A L

Editor-in-chief Tanya Buchanan

Creative director Lauren Camilleri
Deputy editor Harry Roberts
Senior copy editor Janice Hogg
Chief copy editor, Homes Sarah Pickette
Art directors, Homes Nina Dorn, Marissa Foye
Junior designer, Homes Saffron Sylvester
Art production Matus Kundrat

Contributing editors Steve Cordony (Style director-at-large),

Karen McCartney (Architecture), Judy
Pascoe (Library), Melissa Penfold, Carli
Philips (Melbourne), Jean Wright (Design)

E D I T O R I A L O F F I C E GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 1028

Tel (02) 9282 8456, email: belle@aremedia.com.au

CON T R I B UTO R S

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Tim O’Connor, Maria Papantoniou, Chris Pearson, Kristen Pelou, Sue Ramsey, Mark Roper,
Anson Smart, Kristina Soljo, Sam Tabone, Rhiannon Taylor, Pablo Veiga, Nicholas Watt

A D VE R T I S I N G

Commercial manager, Homes Rhyl Heavener

Brand executive Amelia Paterson, (02) 9282 8038
Advertising production manager Kate Orsborn, (02) 9282 8364
Director of sales, agency & direct Karen Holmes, (02) 9282 8733
Victoria head of direct sales Demi Martello, (03) 9823 6368
Queensland head of sales Judy Taylor, (07) 3101 6636
Creative director Clare Catt, (02) 8116 9341
Production planner Sally Jefferys, (02) 8116 9385
Advertising production Dominic Roy, (02) 9282 8691

M A R K E T I N G , R E S E A R C H & C I R C U L AT I O N

Marketing director Louise Cankett

Senior research and insights analyst Ania Falenciak
Subscriptions campaign manager Jesvin Vincent, (02) 9263 9865

A R E M E DI A

Chief executive officer Jane Huxley

Group publisher, Homes Shane Sutton
National director of sales Andrew Cook
Business manager Georgina Bromfield
Circulation and insights manager Nicole Pearson
Data and distribution manager Joshua Blanshard

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Published by Are Media Pty Limited (ACN 053 273 546) part of Are Media Group, 54 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, tel (02) 9282 8000,
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H A R DTO F I N D. C O M . AU
making
places
relevant

usm.com

Play around with colours, shapes and dimensions

and design your own furniture with our online configurator
Australia: Anibou – anibou.com.au
Sydney 726 Bourke St. Redfern NSW 2016, 02 9319 0655
Melbourne 3 Newton Street, Cremorne VIC 3121, 03 9416 3671
info@anibou.com.au
New Zealand: ECC – ecc.co.nz
Auckland 39 Nugent St.Grafton 1023, 09 379 9680
Christchurch 145 Victoria Street, Christchurch Central 8013, 03 353 0586
Wellington 61 Thorndon Quay, Pipitea 6021, 04 473 3456
info@ecc.co.nz
 EDITOR’S LET TER

COCO REPUBLIC’S NEW

WINTER 2022 COLLECTION
INCLUDES THE ‘HARLEM’
MODULAR SOFA, ‘NOBU’
COFFEE TABLES AND THE
‘SOHO’ SIDE TABLE.

Coco Republic
‘Aleka’ brass table

i
lamp, $695.
cocorepublic.com.au

love the work of our cover designers, the award-winning duo Juliette Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke. So
many of us are drawn to the charm and detail of heritage houses, and this project shows that you can
maintain the dreamy feeling that draws you to this style while contemporising with colour and a mix
of modern and collected pieces. Arent&Pyke are the reigning Belle Fanuli Interior Designers of the Hermès ‘Plein
Air’ radiant
Year, and this home showcases the magical results of their collaborative design and curation. They are glow powder in
a pair of colour and art specialists, so it is no surprise their palette looks so fresh and ‘now’ after their Mirage, $145.
expert do-over. You can’t fake depth and warmth, and this house is infused with it – see p108. hermes.com.au

The line-up of fabulous work by Australian designers in this issue is very impressive. Alexandra Ponting’s new
take on a heritage flat in Sydney’s stunning Balmoral Beach – an area I have spent many hours in – is infinitely
inviting. It impels a sense of reverie, p118. If you are familiar with the 1978 Woody Allen film Interiors, with a stellar
cast including Geraldine Page and Diane Keaton, you might feel that Alexandra’s timeless interiors could have
appeared as part of the film’s serene backdrop, which sets the scene for an intense family drama.
Carole Whiting, our emerging designer of the year, has a distinctive minimalist look that works beautifully
in Australian interiors, p144. It strikes a strong balance between classic and contemporary with its rigour. David
Hicks’s love of indulgent and extravagant finishes – not to mention his always generous and marvellous use of
marble – is displayed in his reworking of a beautiful heritage Melbourne property, p152. I envy the crisp and
timeless style of industrial designer, interior architect and art collector Shareen Joel – see p126. Her interiors
look is so effortless and elegant, yet I know that there is much skill to combining rugged materials, contemporary
and antique pieces, a modern-day art collection and raw linen with such precision and polish!
At Belle, we love the runway and what could be better than interiors and couture colliding in the most
fabulous fashion. We get up close and personal with some truly stunning pieces designed for Louis Vuitton by
P HOTO G R A P H Y K R I ST I N A SOL J O ( TA N YA B U C H A N A N )

internationally acclaimed designers, p49. And our deputy editor Harry Roberts takes us inside the exquisite
headquarters of legendary couture house Dior at Avenue Montaigne in Paris, p66.
Back at home, Melbourne Design Week was a sensation, and we have reports from our Architecture editor
Karen McCartney and Sarah-Jane Pyke, from p35. Our dedicated team is always out and about sourcing and
bringing you the best to buy, see and do. Style maestro Steve Cordony delivers his Chic Agenda, p23, and Maria
Papantoniou takes us trawling the shops and bazaars of the Southern Highlands for interior and fashion treasure,
p99. Motoring expert Elise Elliott goes along for the ride on p73 when Biasol directors Jean-Pierre and Heidi Biasol
take the new hybrid Lexus NX 450h+ for a spin around Hobart, taking in galleries and designer hotspots.
It’s time to launch the 2022 Belle Fanuli Interior Design Awards. We invite our incredible Australian designers
to get their entries in for our judging pleasure. We so enjoy looking at their myriad directional projects. Enjoy the
issue, and we are pleased to report that the last few years have not dulled the talents of our best and brightest!

Tanya Buchanan, Editor-in-chief

Follow us #BELLEMAGAZINE FACEBO OK BELLEMAGA ZINE AU INSTAGR AM @BELLEMAGA ZINE AU EMAIL BELLE@AREMEDIA.COM.AU

Belle is also available to buy as a digital magazine for iPhone and iPad, through Magshop, which is a free app to download from the App Store and from Google Play.
ELEVATE YOUR TABLESCAPE
 01
02_SISTER ACT
Lamps are not only a source of light
but also become sculptural objects. The
Sister lamp collection by Laurence Du
Tilly is the perfect example of that.
bastilleandsons.com.au
01_SOUL SIBLING
One of my favourite Sydney haunts is 03_CONTINENTAL SHIFT
the William Street, Paddington, outlet Everything old is new again, and
of awarded interior designer Tamsin these bone-coloured cat-eye frames
Johnson, who has just opened a sister from Balmain create the ultimate
store around the corner full of more contemporary-meets-classic moment for
beautiful curated antiques and wares. your European sojourn. balmain.com
tamsinjohnson.com

02

04_LIGHT MY FIRE
The perfect addition to your
04 C OR
D ONY
There are things
to see, places
to be: the latest
tablescape, these Mason E
EV
Wylde abstract travertine destinations and
ST

candle holders from Youtime

by

designs unfailingly
ed

will add an organic yet luxe

Edit

style hit to your next dinner

party. youtime.com fire the creative
mind of stylist
Steve Cordony.
Here’s what he has
his eye on now ...
RIGHT NOW Chic Agenda
05_WAVE RIDER
The latest range of curved mirrors from Byron Bay
emporium Tigmi Trading are handcrafted in the
laid-back town, where the natural curve and form of
the ocean have informed the shape. tigmitrading.com

06_PUP TALK
There will be no
mistaking your luggage
(or your pet’s) with the
Hermès ‘R.M.S’ suitcase

05
in Traffic Jam print, the
latest dog accessories in
the ‘Box of Tricks’ and the
beechwood canine brush.
hermes.com

08_GREEN INDIGO
The first ready-to-wear denim 07_O MY GOODNESS
collection from my favourite tailor Adding to the range of
is made from BCI-certified organic contemporary outdoor
cotton and available in three on-trend

07
furniture, Spanish brand
tones: Light, Mid and White. pjt.com Oiside’s ‘Oi’ range of
planters (pictured) sit
perfectly within Robert
Plumb’s collection of
graphic seating and tables.
robertplumb.com.au

09_SLUMBER ART
Available in ash, oak or walnut (shown)
the Nau ‘Nami’ bed is a study in
sustainability and spatial awareness,

08
made from flat-packing solid timber.
cultdesign.com.au

24 09
 Always timeless. Always true.
1958 Florence Knoll and Eero Saarinen
Available at dedece Sydney and Melbourne 2022 Eero Saarinen Pedestal Collection
dedece.com
 MELBOURNE

SYDNEY

ADELAIDE

BRISBANE

The de Sede ‘DS-266’ Recliner Chair. Geometric sculptural

form softened by masterful patchwork leather. Effortlessly
reclines with a shift in bodyweight. Exclusive to DOMO.

@domoaustralia | info@domo.com.au | domo.com.au

 Chic Agenda RIGHT NOW

10
10_LUMINARY MIGHT
Curved sofas are having a moment
and the latest addition to the fold
is ‘Lunam’ by Kartell, which was

11
inspired by the dreamy atmosphere of
a lunar landscape. spacefurniture.com.au

11_PIECE MAKER
Doing double duty as a lounge sofa,
the ‘DS-80’ daybed is a timeless
classic. Ever since its launch in 1969,
the piece has been produced with
patchwork leather upholstery crafted
from a single, premium-quality hide. 
domo.com.au

12_LILY PAD
The ‘Lotus’ vase by designer
Elena Strohfeldt commands
attention in the most organic,
handmade and simple way,
whether it’s filled with one
flower or many.
elsocollective.com.au

12

13_SHADOW PLAYS
Also having a
moment in interiors:
fun, bold colour
and eccentricity.
A case in point are
these hand-painted
shades, in playful
hues of Pistachio,
Butter, Cherry and
Denim, by design
collective Rubble.
rubbleworkshop.com

27
RIGHT NOW Chic Agenda

15_VESSEL CRAFT
I love a vase that looks
good with or without
flowers and the
hand-blown ‘Graft’
14
vase by Liam Fleming
achieves that indeed.
moderntimes.com.au

14_DIGGING THE CLAY

I stumbled across the beautiful Clae Studio pieces on a recent trip to gallerist
Michael Reid’s outpost on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where they sat perfectly
in the window as a part of the ‘Finding Form’ exhibition.

15
michaelreidnorthernbeaches.com.au

17
17_ROSY GLOW
16_DRESS UPS
Now that the world is opening
up again, the holiday shopping
Soft pink is still a hot topic and and packing is in full force, and at
the Duchess colour-way of the the top of my list is this Commas
‘Agra’ rug from Armadillo is the textured gold-and-white striped
perfect shade of pink to adorn dinner shirt. commas.cc
any floor. armadillo-co.com

18_ZINC THINKING
Finished in electroplated steel with
toughened frost-white glass, the
‘Mood’ zinc side table by Dean
Norton brings together my love of
metallics and kaleidoscopic tones.
deannorton.com.au

19_SWAN DIVE
18
Another summer Euro holiday must-
have is the large utility tote from
Haulier, which is perfect for day-to-

19
day errands or, hopefully, swanning
around Capri. haulier.international

28
vboaustralia
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Explore a vast library
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BEAUTY. Technogym Sydney, 20 McLachlan Avenue, Rushcutters Bay
 Chic Agenda RIGHT NOW

20
P H OTO G R A P H Y J E M C R E S SW E L L ( T H E F I N E RY CO M PA N Y )

20_PAD ON OVER
I recently came across The Finery in
Sydney’s Paddington, which houses
a beautifully curated mix of vintage
furniture (above), Japanese ceramics
(above left), amazing tailored suits
(below left) and jewellery (below right),
founded by Joe Ha and his jeweller
wife, Jeanne Kang. For more, see p178.
thefinerycompany.com.au

22_TURN IT ON
Nanobar is the latest
range from Brodware.
Clad in brushed Swiss
brass, these bathroom
pieces shine with a subtle
gleam. brodware.com

22
21_SMOKING HOT
For his latest collection, aptly titled A Forest, Christophe Delcourt
conjured a beautifully organic and romantic mood with pieces
21
such as the ‘Inu’ table in smoked brushed oak. ondene.com.au

31
RIGHT NOW Chic Agenda

24 24_COSMIC COCKTAIL
A design collaboration
between Becker Minty
and Sarina Suriano, the
‘Saturne’ cocktail set looks
chic whether or not it’s
mixed up your favourite
23_CLASSY GLASS tipple. beckerminty.com
Some of the latest arrivals from my
go-to antique store include a 1940s
Murano pendant chandelier (above)
and inlay coffee table (below), which
will add a touch of glamour to interiors.
thevaultsydney.com

25
27_HEAR HEAR
A Wallpaper* Design
Award winner for
2021, the innovative
25_METAL MAGIC wireless home
Recently reimagined, the ‘#3 Enriched speaker ‘Beosound

27
Crème’ from Rationale has been boosted Balance’ can not only
with zinc and iron oxides to further be part of the perfect
amplify your glow. rationale.com ‘shelfie’ but delivers
impressive sound for
its compact stature.
bang-olufsen.com

28_SIT UP
A design icon, the Artek
‘Stool 60’ has been
remade for Anibou with
unselected birch and
unpigmented linoleum.
The pieces are available
in a numbered limited
edition of 40.
anibou.com.au

28

32
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RIGHT
N OW Photography D AN HO CKING

STYLIST MARSHA GOLEMAC CURATED A DRAMATIC

INSTALLATION FOR VIABIZZUNO’S ‘LIGHT THE
WORLD YOU WANT’ EXHIBITION AT VBO AUSTRALIA.
ILLUMINATING THE WORK OF NINE LEADING
AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS – INCLUDING RICK AMOR,
PATRIZIA BIONDI AND LOUISE PARAMOR – THE
SHOW EXPLORED THE POTENTIAL FOR LIGHTING TO
ELICIT AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE AND HEIGHTEN
OUR EXPERIENCE OF ART, OBJECTS AND INTERIORS.
DESIGNWEEK.MELBOURNE; VIABIZZUNO.COM

Enjoy Belle’s exclusive tour of March’s

Melbourne Design Week as we lap up the
cream of cutting-edge design at the NGV
and venues around the city.
35
 FURNITURE & HOMEWARES . INTERIOR DESIGN . PROPERTY STYLING

SYDNEY . MELBOURNE . BRISBANE . GOLD COAST . PERTH . CANBERRA . AUCKLAND . LOS ANGELES

WWW.COCOREPUBLIC.COM.AU
 Melbourne Design Week RIGHT NOW

ALWAYS WAS
“You could sense there was
something special about the
artform and the legacy of the
tradition,” says Sarah-Jane
of the fish traps shown by
Agency Projects at Melbourne
Design Fair’s Present
exhibition. The “ethereally
beautiful” floating works were
spun with fibre by Regina
Pilawuk Wilson and Pauline
Longmirr from Durrmu Arts
Aboriginal Corporation in
Peppimenarti, NT, while the
ceramic versions were created
by Regina in collaboration
with Ashlee Hopkins.

Different stripes
Sarah-Jane Pyke, Arent&Pyke principal designer, selects seven outstanding
pieces that caught her eye at this year’s Melbourne Design Fair.
Photography SAM TABONE

ELECTRIFYING SEAT
The ‘Transmogrify’ chair (right),
designed by Helen Kontouris
in strips of yellow leather, blue
Kvadrat fabric and hand-
painted resin, captured Sarah-
Jane’s attention at the Select
exhibition. “I was drawn to this KNIGHT ERRANT
piece immediately for its graphic Also at Select, Sarah-Jane was intrigued by the
boldness. I love the fluid ribbon ‘Firescale’ vase (above) by Cordon Salon designer
form and the graphic nature of Ella Saddington and Glenlyon-based medieval
the contrasting colours. And armourer Sam Bloomfield. “These refined
when I saw the piece was from pieces combine ancient arts with contemporary
2002 then I really appreciated form. The medieval part is seen in their beaten
the timelessness of the design.” robustness, but they are also very delicate.”

37
RIGHT NOW Melbourne Design Week
SHADES OF TRANSPARENCY
Sarah-Jane admired the ‘180 Degree’ vessels (above) with their
designer Emma Elizabeth of Local Design. “I love the ethereal
quality of coloured glass that can be transformative in a space,
because it acts like a small jewel,” says Sarah-Jane of the pieces
that were handblown at Canberra Glassworks and can sit as a
cluster or individually.
AFTER THE FLOOD
“The concentric rings of
the Tasmanian timbers
were mesmerising,”
says Sarah-Jane of
Brodie Neill’s ‘ReCoil’
table shown by Design
Tasmania. “I was also
drawn to the stories of
the flooded timbers
that were used.”
38
FLEX EFFECTS
Sarah-Jane speaks to
ceramic artist Ben
Mazey and international
gallerist Rachael Fry
about his ‘Flags’ glazed
earthenware (left)
displayed by C. Gallery at
the Present exhibition at
Melbourne Design Fair in
March this year. “I found
their format so engaging
on the wall – the fluidity
of the ceramic form that
feels like textile was very
clever,” says Sarah-Jane.
TOUCHING TRIBUTE
“I loved the fluid form of ‘Untitled Desk’ (above) by Don
Cameron, shown by Sydney’s Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert
at the Present exhibition,” says Sarah-Jane. “It pays homage
to some of the great early modernist designers and the solid
weight of the American black walnut timber that Don used
to create the piece was beautiful to the touch.”
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 Melbourne Design Week RIGHT NOW

Making HISTORY
A joint project by two Australian design heavyweights, the
‘Futures Collective’ installation in heritage Villa Alba painted
a graphic picture of contemporary designers and makers.

Words K AREN M C CARTNE Y Photography SE AN FENNESSY & TESS KELLY

This page Interior designer

Fiona Lynch of Fiona Lynch
Studio (left) and Fiona Lyda of
retailer Spence & Lyda are the
creative collaborators behind
the ‘Futures Collective’
exhibition held at Villa Alba.
Curated pieces, with a focus on
original and sustainable design,
were installed throughout to
create a dynamic interaction
with the historic site.

41
RIGHT NOW Melbourne Design Week
This page, clockwise from top left The imposing stone
1880s facade of Villa Alba in Melbourne’s Kew belies an
interior rich in murals and gilded decorative flourishes –
albeit pleasingly faded. An edgy pairing of a new sofa,
the ‘Bibendum’ modular sofa by Lucy Kurrein for Molinari
Living with its 60s vibe and flexible approach to
modularity, with artworks by Eduardo Santos from
Otomys art gallery. New Innate collection coffee and
side tables by Jon Goulder complete the look. Not only
did Marlo Lyda act as producer for the event, she showed
her own Remnants collection – a range of marble offcut
side and coffee tables on beautifully bound metal legs.
42
ometimes it takes a very particular set of circumstances
S embracing place, people, ideas and effort to create
something evocative and magical that transcends the sum
of the parts. The ‘Futures Collective’ installation in the
grand frescoed rooms at Villa Alba Museum in Melbourne’s
Kew is one such experience. Set in and around an imposing 1880s
house renowned for its rare decorative scheme of murals and stencils
(the work of Scottish-born, Melbourne-based decorators the Paterson
Bros) the house remains remarkably intact.
Inserted into this all-encompassing ambience of faded splendour
is the work of a number of local and international designers who all
express, in different ways, the overarching theme of the March
Melbourne Design Week – ‘design the world you want’.
Natural collaborators, the drivers behind the exhibition are the
two Fionas: interior designer Fiona Lynch who works in both Victoria
and NSW, and retailer extraordinaire Fiona Lyda, whose Sydney
business Spence & Lyda will find an additional format and location as
she expands into Melbourne later this year.
Lynch had been aware of the house for years having once written
it up for a school project. Knowing that Lyda wanted to show a
number of her brands and tell their stories, they took the space. Lyda
assembled collaborators including Authentic Design Alliance, Jon
Goulder, Broached Commissions, Otomys gallery, London’s Lucy
Kurrein for Molinari Living, and Madrid’s Alvaro Catalán de Ocón.
Fiona Lynch Office showed in the large reception room with
bespoke furniture pieces inspired by a trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s
Hollyhock House in LA and The Noguchi Museum in New York and
filtered through an intense three-year project for Ace Hotel Sydney.
Chunky pieces in recycled, locally sourced Oregon timber recall US
artist Donald Judd’s work while paint-spattered dropcloths have their
origins in pigments drawn from Ace Hotel’s brick factory site.
For Lyda the galvanising piece, and reference point for the
exhibition, was award-winning Catalán de Ocón’s magnificent Plastic
This page, clockwise from top left The Innate collection,
a longtime collaboration between designer Jon Goulder
and Fiona Lyda, found a second iteration with new stone
tabletops and pieces including a timber-and-metal desk
and bedside and dining tables. In the entrance hall Falling
Awake, an aluminium sculpture in automotive paint by
Greg Penn from Otomys gallery, set up a creative charge
that carried through all the spaces. Broached Commissions
showed pieces from the Broached Recall collection in
heritage timber veneers and their contemporary
counterparts. The graphic effect and the arrangement in
terms of scale and form made an impactful statement.

Rivers – a series of rugs with Spanish brand GAN – woven with yarn
made from recycled plastic debris and depicting aerial views of some
of the world’s most polluted rivers. Additional pieces expanding on
the original Innate collection – a collaboration between Jon Goulder
and Fiona Lyda – made a debut with furniture clad in Adelaide black
granite or magnificent Blue Rosa marble and smoky ‘pickled’ timbers
married with precision laser-cut metals.
“It takes a village” to produce these types of events, says Lyda, and
her daughter, Marlo Lyda, who has worked in the shop since she was
14, stepped up to the role of producer alongside stylists David Harrison
and Mark Whitaker to tease out colours and play with forms and
placement of art, sculpture and furniture for impact and intrigue.
Marlo’s Remnants collection showed a series of side tables using
marble offcuts elevated on spindly metal legs with carefully wrapped
copper-wire joints, while Lucy Kurrein’s ‘Bibendum’ 60s-style sofa is
firmly anchored on its retro shell of recyclable polyurethane.
The exterior space, with its mannered courtyard garden, was
given over to the Authentic Design Alliance, which showed Caged
by Ash Allen, a series of wire sculptures in the form of design
classics as a comment on copyright, design and counterfeit
protection in Australia.
The show brought a new life to Villa Alba – one that was future
focused, responsible and visually thrilling – and the charge of energy
between new and old was palpable to all who visited.
spenceandlyda.com.au; fionalynch.com.au
RIGHT NOW Melbourne Design Week

This page, clockwise from top Fiona Lynch and her team responded to a majestic room that ran the breadth of the residence, using its decorative murals as
a counterpoint to pieces designed in response to a trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House in LA and the Noguchi Museum in New York. She sourced
local Oregon timber for the furniture pieces and used a ‘splatter’ fabric design, with colours drawn from pigments found on the brick factory site for Sydney’s
Ace Hotel, on upholstery. A new dining table in the Innate collection by Jon Goulder has a magnificent simplicity as it takes centrestage in its ornate setting.
One of the key exhibits was Alvaro Catalán de Ocón’s ‘Plastic Rivers’ – a collection of rugs with Spanish brand GAN using recycled plastic debris.

44
Minimal style and Integrated appliances shown here
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 RIGHT NOW

Ph o to gra
p hy M IK E
B A K E R Sty
lin g B E K
S H E P PA RD

O U T o f t h i s WO R L
D
It was an adventure in
colour and otherworldly

style when Louis Vuitton

checked in to Melbourne
for an exclusive exhibition
of its luxe trunks and
travel-inspired objets.

This page Set in striking contrast to the Italianate grandeur of the Long Room at Melbourne’s Immigration Museum in the Old Customs House
building, Louis Vuitton’s transportive installation beckoned visitors through a contemporary labyrinth where crisp white walls and sweeping
portals enclosed a series of vibrant vignettes. Inside, the luxury house exhibited classic monogrammed trunks alongside Objets Nomades,
its collection of exuberant, irreverent and evocative furniture and homewares inspired by distant voyages and dreamed up by the world’s top
designers. Objets Nomades ‘Bulbo’ chair by Fernando and Humberto Campana in Safran, POA, and ‘Bell’ lamps by Edward Barber and Jay
Osgerby in Caramel, Grey and Black, $7650/each, from Louis Vuitton.

49
RIGHT NOW
This page Objets Nomades ‘Ribbon Dance’ chair in White by André Fu,
POA, from Louis Vuitton. ‘Malle Coiffeuse’ cosmetics trunk (with stool),
$257,000, from Louis Vuitton. ‘Malle Cabine’ trunk, $52,500, from Louis
Vuitton. Opposite page Hat box, $9,800, from Louis Vuitton. A selection
of Bisten trunks, POA, from Louis Vuitton.

51
 M S PAC K A T R
I L IC F OR O P I C A L P U
IOPH N C H .
DB
AN
ES
U
H
D
VI
VI
RIGHT NOW
 This page Melding savoir faire with creative daring, Louis Vuitton’s intrepid collaborators let their imaginations wander to wild and wonderful places for the
Objets Nomades collection of travel-inspired furniture and design objects, channeling the master artisanship of the house and pushing its traditional techniques
into outré and awe-inspiring territory. Objets Nomades ‘Serpentine’ table in Blue by Atelier Oï, POA, from Louis Vuitton. ‘Belt’ chairs in Black and Blue/Black by
Atelier Oï, $13,800/each, from Louis Vuitton. ‘Studio Diamond’ screen in Beige by Marcel Wanders, POA, from Louis Vuitton. ‘Spiral’ lamps in Cream and Electric
Blue by Atelier Oï, POA, from Louis Vuitton. Opposite page ‘Cocoon’ chair in Yellow Cream by Fernando and Humberto Campana, POA, from Louis Vuitton.

53
RIGHT NOW

FLIGHTS OF FANCY:
CURVACEOUS PIECES
SPLASHED WITH POPS
OF PRIMARY TONES
EVOKE THE FARAWAY
IN A DESIGN ODYSSEY
THAT TRAVERSES
THE COLOUR WHEEL.
 This page From the Objets Nomades collection, ‘Spiral’ lamp
in Cream by Atelier Oï, POA, from Louis Vuitton. ‘Bomboca’
sofa in Fire Red by Fernando and Humberto Campana, POA,
from Louis Vuitton. ‘Malle DJ Right’ DJ decks, $242,000, from
Louis Vuitton. Opposite page, clockwise from top left From
the Objets Nomades collection, ‘Anemona’ table in Blue by
Atelier Biagetti, $134,000, from Louis Vuitton. Artifort ‘Little
Tulip’ chairs by Pierre Paulin, POA, from Ke-Zu. ‘Studio’ lounge
chair in Red by Marcel Wanders, POA, from Louis Vuitton.
‘Studio Lune’ chair in Noir, POA,by Marcel Wanders, from Louis
Vuitton. Backpack trunk, $59,000, from Louis Vuitton. Clutch
box, $22,100, from Louis Vuitton.

55
RIGHT NOW Art
M E L B O U R N E
SY D N E Y

S C RO L L D O W N
In ‘Within these pages’, the
first Australian solo show
for Iranian-American artist
Hadieh Shafie, canvases
that appear decorated with
abstract swirls, ripples and
fine lines are in fact intricately
constructed fields of paper,
rolled by hand and stacked
side by side to form beguiling
low-relief sculptures (left).
The elaborate scrolls enclose
hidden fragments of Farsi text
and poetry within their folds,
drawing on Iranian miniature
painting and disentangling ties
between text and images. May
27-July 2. yavuzgallery.com
WELL SPOTTED
With their pointillistic flecks of
paint conjuring an almost
pixelated, tapestry-like effect,
Tim Buckovic’s bewitching oils on
linen see figures engaged in
bizarre rituals dissolve into
swirling landscapes. Informed by
modernist and avant-garde
practices, as well as Yugoslavian
and Eastern European graphics,
animations and monuments,
works such as Sequence (right)
suggest alternative histories,
science fictions and arcane
mysticism. May 26-June 25.
futuresgallery.com.au

A D E L A I D E
Speaking volumes
G OING GAGA These artists’ voices carry far and wide.
An uncanny aura pervades the
video portraits of New York artist
and theatre director Robert
Wilson, with imperceptibly slow
movements thawing the frozen
moment of still photography and
the familiarity of his celebrity
subjects – including Winona
Ryder, Isabella Rossellini and
Lady Gaga (left) – rendered
strange by costumes and staging.
July 9-October 3. agsa.sa.gov.au

SY D N E Y

POINT OF VIEW
Daniel Boyd’s first retrospective at a major
public institution, ‘Treasure Island’ maps two
decades of practice that confronts the blind
spots and elisions of Australian history.
Entered via a site-specific installation, which
uses reflective panels dotted with apertures to
ask viewers to consider the act of seeing, the
show moves from his early ‘No Beard’
appropriations of colonial portraiture to recent
paintings (above and right) that complicate
perceptions by fragmenting archival pictures .
June 4-January 29. artgallery.nsw.gov.au
M E L B O U R N E

POP SHOW M E L B O U R N E
Nabilah Nordin’s sculptures
W O R D S W O RT H
(above) – and the fabulously
chaotic, colour-soaked settings
‘Sacred’, Robert Fielding’s
new series of paintings
in which they’re massed
(left), responds to the
– embrace the anthropomorphic
landscape in ways that go
qualities of her materials and beyond the visual by
the “slimy, slopping, seeping, incorporating language
slippery seduction of sensuous and invoking the stories
surfaces.” In ‘Prop Shop’, the and customs with which he
Singaporean-Australian artist relates to an environment
(left) presents her oozing, that is dominant and
amorphous oddities in eight autonomous. July 1-16.
vividly staged clusters. June blackartprojects.com;
24-July 23. neonparc.com.au mimilimaku.com

56 Edited by HARRY ROBERTS

RIGHT NOW Architecture

TRADE UNION
A meeting of complementary skill-sets enables this Melbourne
practice to design buildings that sit naturally in the landscape.

Portrait TIM O'CONNOR

Edited by K AREN MCC ARTNE Y

ARCHITECTS ANNICK HOULE

AND STEPHEN O’CONNOR
WERE PHOTOGRAPHED AT
HOME WITH AN ARTWORK BY
CLAES OLDENBURG, ARCH IN
THE FORM OF A SCREW, FOR
TIMES SQUARE NYC, 1976.
 This page, clockwise from top left The timber-
wrapped interior of Pirates Bay House. A muted
interior of the House at Prickly Rocks. Pirates Bay
House is sensitively sited among 100-year-old tea
trees on the Mornington Peninsula. The living
space at the Oliver Lane Apartment in Melbourne
where distressed concrete pillars inform the
palette. A coastal retreat – the House at Prickly
Rocks with a view into the protected courtyard.

As O’Connor and Houle they got off to a good start by winning

ON E OF T H E MO S T fascinating aspects of architects who
practise together over a long time (and even more so when they
are a couple in life) is how their individual backgrounds and skills
blend to produce a certain genre of work. This is more an approach
that shapes the firm in terms of aesthetics, philosophy and, hence,
their clients and projects. Stephen O’Connor and Annick Houle
are a fine example of this fusion.
He grew up in Melbourne’s Elwood with an architect father
who owned a construction firm. “I became accustomed to building
work, not only visiting sites, but when we built a family beach
P HOTO G R A P H Y E A R L C A RT E R ( P R IC K LY RO C K S , P I R AT E S B AY ), J A M E S G E E R ( M E L B O U R N E L A N E A PA RT M E N T )
a competition to redevelop two new spaces for the iconic Heide
Museum of Modern Art: the Albert & Barbara Tucker Gallery
and Study Centre and the Kerry Gardner & Andrew Myer Project
Gallery, as well as the restoration of the original house occupied
by the Reeds. Their concept incorporated art, architecture and
gardens into a “cultivated landscape”, but like many institutional
commissions it was a slow burn, taking a decade to complete.
Pirates Bay House is the beach retreat they created for
themselves and their twin son and daughter, set among the tea
trees of the Mornington Peninsula, the timber pavilions settling
into the existing landscape. The house was admired by the owner
of an adjacent block of land, who commissioned what is now
known as the House at Prickly Rocks. The site experiences
southerly wind and rain and so a protected courtyard was created
on the north side. An energy-efficient building envelope is the
result of insulation in the concrete walls, with double-insulated
timber elements and double-glazed windows with ventilated
cladding. The interior is an exercise in calm with tones of pale
timber and grey upholstery punctuated by significant black

house there was always a carpenter around so I was used to trades,”
says Stephen. Cutting a stylish swathe through the neighbourhood
in the 1960s and 70s, his mother drove a gold Citroën ‘DS’ while
his father favoured big American cars such as Pontiacs – the five
O’Connor kids sliding around in the back seat.
Annick grew up in Montreal, Canada, and studying art history
led her to the famous Rhode Island School of Design where her
degree combined architecture and fine arts. The pair met when
taking a Master’s Degree at Harvard in 1993, where they were
exposed to the best architectural theorists and practitioners of
the day. “Zaha Hadid and Herzog & de Meuron would be flown
in on Concorde for lectures,” says Annick.
Jobs, post-degree, were hard to find due to a recession. Stephen
found a position with famed New York architects Polshek
Partnership, but found the constraints of the city’s building codes
put a handbrake on creativity. Meanwhile, Annick worked for an
uptown art gallery, at one point criss-crossing New York on foot,
picking up a number of bubble-wrapped Picassos for a high-profile
client to choose one as a gift for his pregnant wife.
The couple’s move to Australia was driven by a desire to build,
and to this day they look at their successful New York
contemporaries and see that they didn’t have the same opportunities
to create buildings from the ground up.
appliances – such as the Cheminées Philippe wood-burning fire
and a magnificent cast-iron Aga. “The exterior timbers have
aged beautifully and are now silvery, creating a shift in texture
from the concrete but maintaining the tone,” says Stephen. The
landscaping, also by Annick, has a feeling of always having been
there, and doesn’t register as introduced.
Another project to garner praise is the Oliver Lane Apartment
in Melbourne’s CBD. Stripping back the layers from two
amalgamated spaces in a heritage building, designed by Sir John
Monash in off-form concrete, revealed massive columns the patina
of which informs the palette. “Light was an issue,” says Annick,
“so we introduced an ingenious LED that can change colour
temperature and runs along the beams lighting upwards.” Muted
tones and strong forms in the furniture selections, such as Faye
Toogood’s ‘Roly-Poly’ sofa and chair, make this 400 square-metre
apartment feel like a home. “Luckily, too, the client was able to
buy the garage that was interrupting the visual flow and we could
make some big arches and carve out a garden space,” says Stephen.
A recently completed project in Sydney’s Darling Point and
a planned renovation in Newtown see the work of O’Connor and
Houle segue into New South Wales, bringing their considered
approach that embraces the disciplines of architecture, interiors
and landscape with a rare seamlessness. oconnorandhoule.com

59
 FUELLED BY AN ETHOS THAT THE “EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF A SPACE IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE AESTHETIC”, LINDA BORONKAY IS
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF HER EPONYMOUS INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN STUDIO. THIS PHILOSOPHY PLUS HER STELLAR
EXPERIENCE AS DESIGN DIRECTOR AT GLOBAL BOUTIQUE HOTEL ENTERPRISE SOHO HOUSE MADE HER AN OBVIOUS CHOICE TO REALISE
THE VISION OF HOTELIERS ADAM ABRAMS AND EDDIE LEVY WHO, WITH DEVELOPER LAWRANCE RYKO, DESIRED TO ESTABLISH A LUXURY
COUNTRY LODGE WITH LASHINGS OF ENGLISH ECCENTRICITY AND CINEMATIC MOMENTS. TO BRING THIS RETREAT TO LIFE LONDON-
BASED LINDA COLLABORATED WITH AWARD-WINNING LOCAL INTERIOR ARCHITECT ALAN MCMAHON OF MAC DESIGN STUDIO WHOSE
PROJECTS SPAN LOCATIONS INCLUDING BYRON BAY, SYDNEY AND IRELAND, CONVERTING A GRACIOUS 1890S ESTATE NEAR BUNDANON
AND MORTON NATIONAL PARK IN THE NSW SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS INTO OSBORN HOUSE, WHICH BOASTS 15 LUXE SUITES AND SEVEN
INTIMATE CABINS IN GROUNDS LOOKING ONTO ROLLING HILLS AND THICK FOREST REMINISCENT OF BRITAIN’S PASTORAL DELIGHTS.
HERE, THE PAIR SHARE THEIR MYRIAD INSPIRATIONS. LINDABORONKAY.COM; MACDESIGNSTUDIO.COM.AU; OSBORNHOUSE.COM.AU

Edited by AL AN McMAHON AND LINDA BORONK AY

Portrait JEM CRESSWELL

I N F L UE N C E S

60
 Influences RIGHT NOW

I N S P IR I N G
S PAC E S

[ Suite spots ]
STAYING POWER

Linda: I have been to some iconic spaces

during my travels that live so vividly in
my memory that I yearn to return to
each time I’m near. The Boom Boom
Room, The Grill or The NoMad in New
York are such places. In Europe I adore
Hôtel Costes in Paris (above and left),
Caffè Florian in Venice, Le Sirenuse in
Positano, The Wolseley in London to
name a few. hotelcostes.com

LINDA: I’M SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND

DESIGN FAIRS AGAIN! I JUST RETURNED FROM
MAISON&OBJET IN PARIS (BELOW) AND
SALONE DEL MOBILE IS NEXT. WE HAVE BEEN
P HOTO G R A P H Y PAT R IC K LO CQ U E N EU X /M RT R I P P E R .CO M @ M RT R I P P E R ( HOT E L COST E S )

SO REMOVED FROM PHYSICAL EXPERIENCES,

2
INSPIRATIONS AND, IMPORTANTLY, THE DESIGN
COMMUNITY. PEOPLE ARE VERY HUNGRY TO
GET AWAY AGAIN, MORE ENTHUSIASTICALLY
AND IN LARGER NUMBERS THAN EVER.
MAISON-OBJET.COM; SALONEMILANO.IT
COLLECT ABLES

3
ROCKING THE CURVE
Alan: When it comes to collectables, we adore design classics.
Mama Casa has launched the Etel collection in Australia, offering DESIGN
access to some of Brazil’s most iconic furniture pieces and featuring
the work of mid-century luminaries. A favourite is the ‘Rio’ cane
rocking chair (above left) by Oscar Niemeyer (above right) which
is a showstopper with its elegant curvature. Another treasure is the
‘Tea Trolley’ by Jorge Zalszupin. Who wouldn’t want this beautiful
piece to take pride of place in your home showcasing your finest
collection of personal objects and beverages? etel.design
 Influences RIGHT NOW

T Y PES + A RTISA NS
EARTHY DELIGHTS
Alan: Makers’ Mrkt is a unique online
marketplace offering a curated selection of
art, design and home objects. We adore the
ceramics from Clae Studio where Britt Neech
(left) makes all pieces individually by hand.
The contemporary shapes and forms showcase
the beauty of the ceramic process. We love GLASS CULTURE
the ‘Valley’ vessels and ‘Moon’ vase (below). LINDA: MAISON BALZAC
makersmrkt.com; claestudio.com IS ANOTHER BRAND WE
LOVE, AND WE USED
  QUITE A FEW OF THEIR
C R E A TI V E

PIECES FOR STYLING. I

LOVE HOW QUIRKY AND
STYLISH THEIR PIECES
(ABOVE AND LEFT) ARE
– FULL OF CHARM AND
CHARACTER.
MAISONBALZAC.COM

[ Plaster cast ]
MYTHOLOGICAL BEING

4
Alan: Lucy Montgomery’s beautiful
collection of handmade plaster lamps
inspired by European architecture were
the perfect addition to the interiors at
Osborn House (below). We love the ‘Del
Rio’, which draws its form from Spanish
mission-style architecture, and the
curvaceous ‘Minerva’ named for the
Roman goddess of wisdom.
lucymontgomery.com
ALAN: JAI VASICEK’S ARTWORKS (LEFT) ARE
TRULY INSPIRING WITH HIS OUTSTANDING
LINE-WORK AND USE OF COLOUR. WE HAD
THE PLEASURE OF ENGAGING HIM TO PAINT
THE CORRIDOR WALLS TO THE SUITES WITH
A NARRATIVE THEMED ‘THE NIGHT GARDENS’
AS WELL AS A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF OILS
ON CANVAS THAT SERVE AS FOCAL POINTS
THROUGHOUT THE INTERIORS.
JAIVASICEK.COM

A RCHITECTURA L ELEMENTS
HANDLE WITH CARE
Alan: This Old House studio, located in Berry,
NSW, offers a variety of vintage-inspired
hardware. We love the ‘Annecy’ door lever
5
(right) and the ‘Fluted’ cupboard knob in
antique brass (far right). The collection of
decorative hooks and doorknobs add an
element of character to bespoke custom
joinery. thisoldhousestudio.com.au

63
RIGHT NOW Influences

D E C OR A T I O N Linda: I adore Pierre Frey

fabrics. I’ve been using this
brand for years and return to
it over and over again
because of their diversity,
amazing colours and quality
– as seen in ‘Namata’ (left)
and ‘Vladimir’ (below).
I was very happy to discover

6
that they are represented in
Australia and we used many
of their products in Osborn
House. milgate.com.au

LINDA: THE OTHER GREAT

FABRIC BRAND THAT
SHAPED THE INTERIOR
SCHEME AT OSBORN
HOUSE (RIGHT) WAS
LEWIS & WOOD, WHICH
WAS PERFECT FOR THE
FADED COLOURS AND
SUBTLE BUT CHARACTER-
FILLED PATTERNS WE
WANTED TO FEATURE.
[ Material world ]
WEAVING MAGIC
LEWISANDWOOD.CO.UK

BOU TIQU E

07
Alan: Cadrys are our go-to for vintage and contemporary rugs
with an amazing collection of one-of-a-kind antique pieces
rich in history. For Osborn House we had the pleasure of
collaborating with their makers on a bespoke rug collection
(above and left), which completed the whimsical interiors while
adding an element of texture and pattern. cadrys.com.au

64
 S E R V
E

E
N
C
Est. 2002

O
O
L
L E C T I

BY
RIGHT NOW Creative Space

TH E NEW N EW LOOK
An ambitious reimagining of Dior’s iconic Paris premises has fashioned
it into a destination for shopping, dining and the celebration of couture.

66
 These pages, from left With its elegant volutes,
mascarons and wrought-iron balconies, 30 Avenue
Montaigne’s 19th-century neoclassical facade impressed
Christian Dior when he first encountered it in 1946. The
sweeping staircase at La Galerie Dior evokes the
masterfully constructed curvilinear forms seen in the
couturier’s designs and is lined with an installation,
Diorama, that comprises 3D-printed miniatures of
famous Dior pieces in a cascading array of colours.

Words HARRY ROBERTS

Photography ADRIEN DIR AND &
KRISTEN PELOU

he title of the recent retrospective ‘Christian Dior:

T Designer of Dreams’ is a fitting sobriquet for the

legendary couturier, whose 1947 collection heralded an
age of fantasy, femininity and escapism in fashion after
the devastation and austerity of World War II. And for
more than 75 years since that revolutionary debut – famously dubbed
“The New Look” by Harper’s Bazaar editor Carmel Snow – 30 Avenue
Montaigne has been the address of Dior’s dream factory.
Home to the atelier where The New Look was brought to life, and
the salon where it was first paraded to rapturous applause, the building
is synonymous with the magic of haute couture – that rarefied artform
once described by Dior as “the last refuge of the marvellous”.
Now, following a major two-year renovation and expansion, the
maison has reopened the doors to its spiritual home and unveiled
another radical new look: a spectacular flagship set over 10,000 square
metres and home to restaurants, gardens and a museum.
Built in 1865 by the illegitimate son of Napoleon I, the four-storey
hôtel particulier captivated Dior when he encountered it in 1946. “It
had to be 30 Avenue Montaigne,” said the couturier, drawn to the
understated elegance of the neoclassical facade, as well as its relatively
modest scale and proximity to potential clients staying at the Hôtel
Plaza Athénée. “I would set myself up here and nowhere else.”
Working with designer Victor Grandpierre, Dior sought to make
the interiors feel decorated but not decorative, appointing them with
gilt mirrors, dove-grey walls, white panelling, crystal chandeliers and
Louis XVI-style furniture in wicker and white lacquer. The result was
a warm, elegant setting and suitably demure to let his creations star.
The salon was strewn with flowers when The New Look was debuted
the following February in what seemed a nod to the ultra-feminine,
flower-like silhouettes of the clothing. Sloped at the shoulders, nipped
at the waist and blooming into voluminous skirts, ensembles such as
the hourglass ‘Bar’ suit completely did away with wartime sobriety and
entered a realm of dreams through feats of architectural construction.
“I wanted to be an architect,” said Dior during a lecture at the Sorbonne.
RIGHT NOW Creative Space
This page, from top La
Pâtisserie Dior overlooks one
of three internal gardens
designed by Peter Wirtz.
Exhibited at La Galerie Dior,
the ‘Bar’ suit from the 1947
‘Corolle’ collection, which
came to be called The New
Look, is an icon of the house
continually reinterpreted by
successive creative directors.
‘Le Bal Dior’ installation on
the museum's second floor.
Opposite page The main
staircase of the sprawling 30
Avenue Montaigne boutique.
“As a designer, I’m obliged to follow the principles of architecture.”
For the next decade, until Dior’s sudden death in 1957, and through
the artistic stewardship of his successors at the house – Yves Saint
Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons
and Maria Grazia Chiuri – 30 Montaigne remained a hive of constant
creativity, ultimately growing to encompass eight adjoining buildings.
But the site’s most spectacular metamorphosis has been its latest
– a vision dreamed up by Dior CEO Pietro Beccari after he joined the
maison in 2018. This contemporary reimagining would see the universe
of Dior dazzlingly displayed under one roof, reaching back to its history
and providing a permanent showcase for the story of the house, which
had just been chronicled in the ‘Designer of Dreams’ exhibition.
Architect Peter Marino conceived the vast, 2000-square-metre
boutique as “a set design in which many different plays could unfold”,
entwining Louis XVI-style classicism with magnificent modernity
through a series of exquisite spaces offering everything from ready-
to-wear and homewares to fragrances, haute couture and jewellery.
Entered via a triple-height rotunda, where an installation by Paul
Cocksedge floats gracefully overhead, and connected by a twisting
central staircase crested with a seven-metre rose sculpture by artist
Isa Genzken, the boutique is threaded with the codes of Dior and
reflects the founder’s affinity for art through striking new commissions.
Dior’s passion for gardens and penchant for floral forms is similarly
evoked by a trio of green spaces, for which Marino worked with
acclaimed landscape designer Peter Wirtz. Now a destination for haute
cuisine as well as haute couture, 30 Montaigne’s overhaul has seen the
opening of La Pâtisserie Dior and restaurant Monsieur Dior, both led
by in-demand chef Jean Imbert. And at La Suite Dior, guests are invited
to check in for the night with all of 30 Montaigne’s luxuries exclusively
at their disposal – perhaps the sweetest dream of all.
But the greatest triumph of the new 30 Montaigne is its adjoining
museum, La Galerie, the fashion capital’s largest exhibition space
devoted to a single collection of couture. With scenography by Nathalie
Crinière, who curated ‘Designer of Dreams’, it presents Dior’s virtuosic
creations alongside those of his successors, preserving the spaces where
they made magic. “I am extremely proud to see this dream come true,”
says Beccari of 30 Montaigne, a place that celebrates the power of
fashion’s most audacious dreamers to shape the cultural fabric. dior.com
69
RIGHT NOW Creative Space

70
 This page, clockwise from top The Diorama installation traverses the colour spectrum as it moves up
the museum stairway. An arresting steel sculpture by John Chamberlain is displayed in the terrace
garden. The boutique presents the Dior universe – including its exquisite homewares, Dior Maison – in
a series of elegant, enfilading spaces by Peter Marino. The experience of the archives is enhanced by
La Galerie Dior’s magical lighting design and scenography by Nathalie Crinière. Opposite page An
assemblage by Guy Limone covers a wall at the Monsieur Dior restaurant, which features bespoke
lamps by Melbourne artist Sarah Nedovic Gaunt. Poltrona Frau chairs are covered in houndstooth
check in a nod to the original packaging of the Miss Dior fragrance, created at 30 Montaigne in 1947.
UNLIMITED
KMS
WARR ANTY
 Driving in Cars RIGHT NOW

This page Elise joins Heidi,

Jean-Pierre and their daughter,
Siena, at the Museum of Old and
New Art – a catalyst in Hobart’s
rise as a cultural capital, and an
architectural marvel in its own
right. The beautiful bushland
surrounds are reflected in the
Khaki Metal finish of the Lexus NX.

Photography TIM O’CONNOR

E L I S E I S D R E S S E D BY K EON CO U T U R E , K EO NCO U T U R E .COM . AU

Driving with
BIASOL
DESIGN DUO JEAN-PIERRE AND HEIDI BIASOL TOUR THE TASMANIAN
CAPITAL IN A CHIC NEW LEXUS THAT – LIKE THE CITY – MELDS GREEN
CREDENTIALS WITH DESIGN INGENUITY AND DASHING GOOD LOOKS.
By motoring expert Elise Elliott @EliseElliott_Media

73
RIGHT NOW Driving in Cars

Hobart has experienced not so much an evolution as a

revolution. The vibrant and edgy-yet-organic city has
grown into an art, design and culinary hub. Designer
Jean-Pierre Biasol, founder and director of award-
winning multidisciplinary design studio Biasol, is here
to check the city’s creative pulse and pay a visit to one
of his recent projects, Sandy Bay café Sisterhood. Jean-
Pierre’s parents are Italian and he studied in Europe.
Does European design inspire and inform his work?
“Absolutely! I love capturing the quality and craft of
Europe, but I use the filter of tone and colours that are
unique to Australia to suit our audience and conditions.”
The car for our two-day tour of Hobart’s design
hotspots: the new Lexus NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid.
The electric motor paired with a petrol engine gives THE ROX
drivers the best of both worlds. Around town you can In typical Tasmanian style, historic buildings nestle among
drive on electric power only, but for longer distances striking new developments with an easy simpatico. One of
or sudden bursts of acceleration the car seamlessly the best examples of this is The Rox, which includes
adds in the petrol engine. According to Lexus, when apartments in both the new and heritage parts of the site.
the battery’s running low, the car switches to its Below sits the Lexus showroom where we pick up the NX.
hybrid drive mode. The petrol engine is then assisted Painted in Khaki Metal it is undoubtedly one of the more
by the electric motors to propel the vehicle and contoured and contemporary looking mid-sized SUVs.
maintain the battery’s charge. Joining us is Biasol brand director Heidi, who happens
Fortunately there’s no fear we’ll run out of power to be Jean-Pierre’s wife. Also, a surprise guest – their one-
when touring Hobart, given the city’s close proximity and-a-half year old daughter, Siena. The Lexus proves
to Jean-Pierre and Heidi’s pick of local establishments. family friendly with ample cabin space providing enough
room to install a state-of-the-art child seat.
The most confounding thing about Hobart is its
labyrinthine one-way streets. The generous 14-inch
multimedia touchscreen comes to the rescue with its built-
in navigation, which we rely on to decipher the circuitous
route to our next destination. theroxhobart.com

This page, clockwise from top left Designer

Jean-Pierre Biasol, with his wife and brand
director Heidi and daughter Siena, head
towards the cavernous entrance of the Museum
of Old and New Art. The new plug-in hybrid
Lexus NX proves to be family friendly, with
ample cabin space providing enough room
to install a state-of-the-art child seat that’s
perfect for toddler Siena. The Lexus effortlessly
navigates the back streets of Hobart. The city’s
famed and fabulous harbour.
SISTERHOOD
It’s time to discover the new e-Latch system, which
electronically controls the latching and unlatching of doors.
This feature, combined with a blind-spot monitor, is designed
to cancel the door’s unlatching if there’s a risk of it opening
into the path of a vehicle or cyclist. It’s all part of a suite of
clever new safety features.
The coast is clear and a coffee fix is in order – what better
place to grab one than at Sisterhood, the Biasol-designed
café in Sandy Bay. Jean-Pierre and Heidi were inspired by
the textures, timbers and earthy tones of a trip to Tulum,
Mexico. “We aimed to bring back that look while adding a
touch of Sandy Bay’s coastal feel by using pale timbers, rattan
features and handcrafted textured elements,” says Jean-Pierre.
At the café’s entrance is an understated, neon peach heart
light giving a cheeky, if subtle, nod to fun. “We wanted to
create a venue that felt lively for a new, young audience, yet
comforting for established locals,” says Jean-Pierre.
The distinctly Hobartian colourway of pale greens, taupes
and beiges is enhanced by an impressive jungle of devil’s ivy.
“We couldn’t find established greenery so we planted this
variety which is growing beautifully thanks to the northern
light spilling through the courtyard,” adds Jean-Pierre. This page, clockwise from top Inspired by the textures, timbers and earthy
Biasol studio sourced the bar stools and lamps from The tones of Mexico, together with a touch of Sandy Bay’s coastal feel,
Jean-Pierre and Heidi used pale timbers, rattan and handcrafted
Family Love Tree, while the dining chairs, with their
elements for the interiors at Sisterhood. Plants feature heavily in the café
bespoke leather handles, are from Thonet. The tiles, in and complement the colour scheme of pale greens, taupes and beiges.
colour Soapstone, are imported from Heath Ceramics. At the entrance, the neon peach heart light adds a fun moment.
Sisterhood owner Yasmin Chung wanted her 140-seat
venue to be about more than food and coffee. “It’s an
experience. It makes you feel like you’re part of the
community. I want customers – whether they be kids,
grandparents or couples – to feel welcome. We source all
our food straight from the suppliers, many from micro-
producers, meat from small farms and herbs grown in
backyards. We know the provenance of all our products,”
says Yasmin. sisterhoodhobart.com

75

This page, clockwise from top Continuing the green theme,
Jean-Pierre discovers a set of Baina towels at Grey and Felt.
The Lexus NX takes in the sights at Sandy Bay. Jean-Pierre
and Elise exit Luc Design store, housed in the 1836 Walch
building in Hobart’s Macquarie Street. Opposite page,
clockwise from top left The Lexus design philosophy extends to
its impressive showroom at The Rox. The family views Julius
Popp’s installation bit.fall at Mona. Grotto for Mona by
Randy Polumbo. Strolling Hobart’s historic streets.The
multimedia touch screen features built-in sat nav.
GREY AND FELT
A quick dash across Sandy Bay Road takes us to Grey and
Felt, a delectably curated homewares shop stocking Iittala
vases and dinnerware from Marimekko. With the colour
green being a recurring theme, Jean-Pierre picks up a set
of Baina ‘St Bathans’ organic bath towels in shade Moss.
greyandfelt.com.au
LUC DESIGN
The Lexus winds through historic Battery Point and back
to the town centre. Next stop is Luc Design – a cornucopia
of interesting and iconic homewares, furniture, fashion,
jewellery and perfumes. The space was founded by a local,
Lucy Given, who lived around the world before returning
to Hobart. She says Tasmania is like the lyrics from Hotel
California – you can check out but never leave.
“There was nothing like this store is Tasmania, so I decided
to do it myself. My aim is to bring beautiful products to a
regional area,” says Lucy.
In the window is a sleek ‘Airia’ desk by Herman Miller.
On the counter, a fascinating Tom Dixon candelabra
which belongs in a Game of Thrones episode. Jean-Pierre
chooses a ‘Cobra’ vase by Danish design brand 101
Copenhagen and a ‘C-Chair’ by Gubi. Both easily fit
into the Lexus boot. lucdesign.com.au
CLUCK
At this point, our littlest recruit, Siena, is growing restless.
Luck is literally on our side, with Luc Design’s children’s
concept store, Cluck, just across the road. Lucy opened
the space after realising there were no upmarket children’s
products in Hobart. Here, many classy classics for kids are
on offer, including Eames elephants and soft toys from
French label BigStuffed. Siena is delightfully distracted by
a panda by Kay Bojesen. cluckstore.com.au

SALAMANCA ARTS CENTRE
Heidi takes Siena and her panda home for a day sleep before
we reunite for a magical tour of Salamanca Arts Centre.
We enter via architectural landmark Kelly’s Steps, named
after early Australian explorer and whaler James Kelly. The
steps were cut into the stone cliffs in 1839 and resonate
with stories and history. Many of the old warehouses that
originally lined the wharfs were built with stone quarried
from the cliffs. Today, those warehouses are now home to
Hobart’s cultural heartbeat.
Salamanca Arts Centre supports contemporary artists
by giving them the resources and opportunities to make
new work, to engage with other artists and to share their
practice with the world.
In addition to gallery shows, like the Acts of Holding Dance
by Wendy Yu showing in Kelly’s Garden, many local retailers
are housed within the centre. salarts.org.au
Driving in Cars RIGHT NOW
MONA
Day two involves the compulsory trip to the Museum of
Old and New Art. Mona manages to confront and
confound, bewitch and beguile. There’s a whiff of Willy
Wonka to this wondrous place. Owner David Walsh, much
like Roald Dahl’s eccentric, enigmatic character, has
created a fun factory of sorts.
We drive north out of Hobart to Berriedale and through
Mona’s on-site vineyards. The museum space is a
subterranean cave carved into a riverbank. Step inside a
glass lift – reminiscent of Wonka’s Great Glass Elevator
– and descend into what feels like another dimension.
Highlights, among many, include bit.fall by Julius Popp.
The artwork, an allegory about the flood of information
to which we’re subjected, randomly displays words
downloaded in real time from Google’s Australian news
headlines. These are then translated into drops of water
that cascade from a breathtaking waterfall. You won’t
find glaring labels next to such astonishing artworks.
After all, this is David’s home. But visitors to the museum
can download a pithy app called ‘The O’ detailing all
the artwork.
Jean-Pierre is transfixed by the space. “What a spectacular
setting. It’s surreal travelling underground then surfacing
in a light-filled restaurant. It’s quite the dramatic journey.”
Much of the artwork delights Siena and indeed the
kidult in all of us, in particular the Grotto for Mona by
Randy Polumbo, which is a mirrored, mind-bending,
meditation room with silver stairs, blown-glass flowers
and polished aluminium.
Time to hurtle out of the bowels of the museum and
back up the glass elevator to reality. mona.net.au
77
RIGHT NOW Driving in Cars

THE TASMAN HOTEL

After an art overload, it’s time to park the Lexus for the day,
say goodnight to our weary copilot Siena and indulge in a
grown-up drink. What better venue than Mary Mary at the
Tasman, the newest property in The Luxury Collection by
Marriott International. We wander down a sandstone
laneway to an almost secluded entrance reminiscent of a
speakeasy. Taking its name from the original site of St Mary’s
Hospital that operated in the early 1800s, this intimate
cocktail bar is steeped in history. The former hospital was JEAN-PIERRE’S THOUGHTS…
then home to the Lands and Survey Department. The dark 2022 LEXUS NX 450H+
parquetry floor uses recycled wood from the original site.
The space was outfitted by Michael McCann of Dreamtime
Australia Design. With its leather-accented bar, low lighting DESIGN
and four fireplaces it’s a cosy, winter den. “I’m impressed by the sharp, muscular yet
Among the expertly curated drinks is the tempting elegant lines of the car’s exterior. The
Bramble: a heady mix of Derwent Valley cherries, gin, lemon, interior finishes have a refined texture.
anise and a dash of absinthe bring complexity and comfort. I particularly like the F Sport steering wheel
Open another hidden door and guests burst into the airy, with its perforated leather accented trim
open, joyous expanse of Italian restaurant, Peppina. Indeed and stitching. The massive 14-inch
multimedia touchscreen display is tilted to
so light-filled is the space, two functioning olive trees thrive
the driver which feels intuitive. The deep
inside the lively trattoria. This is a family affair. Peppina is
metallic green colour plays well with the
named after the nonna of culinary director Massimo Mele.
earthy tones with which I work. And Siena
Massimo, who was born in Hobart and raised in Naples,
loves the tilt-and-slide ‘moonroof’!”
says Peppina “draws inspiration from the Italian way of
celebrating, family and friends” while using local produce. F U N C TI O N A LIT Y
In fact many of the ingredients are cultivated in small batches “The 60/40 split of the rear seats has two
and are exclusive to the kitchen. states of recline which is handy for my work.
This coalescence of Italian heritage and distinctly The floor is quite high but there is enough
Australian sensibilities is reflected in Jean-Pierre’s cross- space in the 520-litre boot to carry samples
cultural philosophy. Cheers to that. marymarybar.com; and even larger pieces of furniture including
peppinarestaurant.com chairs. There’s ample room for day-to-day
usage and it’s a family-friendly SUV.”

D R I V E A B I LIT Y
“The safety inclusions in this car are
extensive and welcome. There’s an amazing
safety feature that shows a bird’s-eye view
of the vehicle while parking, using cameras
mounted on the front, sides and rear of
the car. Acceleration is swift and the ride
is supple. Most impressive – the transition
between petrol and electric drive
is seamless.”

This page, clockwise from top left Elise and Jean-Pierre visit
Massimo Mele’s restaurant, Peppina, which was inspired by
his Italian nonna. Cruising the back streets of Hobart in the
Lexus NX. Jean-Pierre and Elise enjoy a glass of vino rosso.

78
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B I L LY C O T T O N
Sophisticated is a word often
ascribed to US decorator Billy
restaurant Bathers’ Pavilion, the author is also a stylist,
Cotton thanks to his clever and
stylish blending of historical and
disciplines that have equipped her to be a design guru.
contemporary references against
a backdrop of bold colours,
custom lighting and arresting
art. New York-based, this is
his first book and displays the
breadth and accomplishment of
his repertoire, from his work for
artists such as Cindy Sherman to
his impressive industrial designs.
Mayer Rus, Rizzoli, $135
A N E W P O RT S U M M E R
yacht races and beach clambakes
contemporary conceits adds to the
G R E AT AU S T R A L I A N
HOMES
No need to look overseas for
design inspiration when there is a
wealth of brilliance contained in
this publication from Australian
House & Garden. From Sydney
beachside abodes to stylish
getaways in rural Victoria and
including handsome city homes
there is polished perfection on
every page. Architects, designers
and home owners have unleashed
their personality and creative
genius across the country and the
outcomes are uplifting.
Are Media Books, $39.99
Library RIGHT NOW
HOME
Best known as the former owner of iconic Sydney
artist, creative director and former fashion editor –
Her style is effortless, textured and layered, with a
preference for vintage. Self-described as a “doula who
turns houses into homes”, her latest book captures her
aesthetic through images and words that explore the
significance of home. Victoria Alexander, Peribo, $90
Room service
Delivering spellbinding ideas from savvy designers.
B E AU T I F U L H O U S E S
Singing the praises of the US East BY T H E WAT E R
Coast’s favourite playground, A connection to nature – and
this book seduces with all the water in particular – is on many
old-school charm of the storied home owners’ wishlists. For such
mansions it features, along with people this book is a gift, filled
glimpses into the tennis parties, with magnificent properties,
including a dramatic home in
which fill a Newport summer. A Tasmania. All revel in proximity
thread of understated elegance to oceans, rivers and lakes and
and high style unsullied by the site-specific contemporary
designs are awe-inspiring.
wonderfully expressive nature of Images Publishing, $65
the book, authentically captured
by two insiders. Nick Mele and
Ruthie Sommers, Vendome, $100 R O S E TA R L O W:
THREE HOUSES
A doyenne of interior, furniture and
textile design, Rose Tarlow dips into
her personal archive to showcase
three of her own homes in the US
and Provence, each characterised
by quirkiness and a devotion to
quality. Lauded for her deft blend
of minimalism and romanticism,
Tarlow’s homes are photographed
by such respected names as Miguel
Flores-Vianna and Fernando Montiel
Klint, perfectly capturing the magic
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Rose Tarlow, Vendome, $140
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There’s nothing quite like peeking into the homes of top creatives and absorbing some of their flair.
From their blog, Quintessence, the authors have entree to abodes such as textile designer John
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An abundance of personal style is on display here. Susanna Salk and Stacey Bewkes, Rizzoli, $99
Edited by JUDY PASCOE 89
 2 Style Etiquette RIGHT NOW

3
4
1

Soft touch 7
Blur hard lines with layers of natural materials, says Melissa Penfold.
IF YOU WANT your space to feel more luxurious, BESPOKE BEDHEAD Find fabric the same colour as your
think of layering it with curtains, throws, rugs and wall, and whip up a slip cover for your existing bedhead 8
comforting cushions that can soften hard architecture or fold fabric and secure with ties or buttons.
lines. Each layer absorbs sound and promotes comfort. SLIP STREAM Loose covers are a great way to prolong
Soft furnishings and fabrics are what make an interior the life of your upholstery and change the look of your
feel right so long as it feels good but if not don’t buy sofas and chairs seasonally. Tailored, made-to-measure
it. Handmade materials bring in a texture and warmth slip covers in plain, neutral colours will refresh all
that’s not about design, it’s about nature and the earth.  furniture – including chairs, wingbacks, bedheads,
TRY TEXTURE Think of texture as a paint palette, tufted ottomans, tables and stools – to make them fit
coordinating or contrasting to build up layers for into the scheme of a room. Best made in cotton, canvas
P H OTO G R A P H Y BY M IG U E L F LOR E S -V I A N N A ( D E G O U R N AY ), M IC H A E L S I NC L A I R ( M A RT I N WA L L E R ), OB E RTO G I L L ( TORY B U RC H )

depth. Tactile materials such as wool, linen, shearling
or velvet add another dimension to a space. Easily
changeable layers of rugs, cushions and throws are a
way of injecting colour, pattern and beauty.
FABRIC KEY Soft furnishings and cushions are the key
to comfort. Fabrics allow you to be true to yourself.
Special fabrics on small pieces can make a big impact.
RADICAL REFRESH Every 10 years or so sofas and chairs
will need a new shot of life and fabric can also update
old furniture or disguise mismatched pieces. If you’re
quoted over half the cost of replacing it with something
of equal workmanship forget it. The best upholstery
is soft, plump and firm. Select a hardy fabric in a quiet
colour or pattern with stronger notes on cushions.
WALL ART Cover up uneven or patchy walls using chic,
affordable coverings from Bunnings. Faux wallpaper
can be used to add character, texture and colour to any
area. Accessible and easy to use, these innovative panels
(and murals) can decorate any wall in the house.
or linen in plain, neutral colours (or stripes and checks)
with ties or buttons to fasten. They can be popped in
the washing machine when they get grubby and
packed away when the colder weather returns.
DRAPE WISE Curtains can warm things up in winter or
cut the need for air-conditioning. Treat window and
wall as a seamless surface so curtains blend in. Lining
protects from sun, conceals hems and adds body. On 9
a budget? Buy a generous quantity of muslin or do
something with imagination and beautiful finishing. 
SMART PANELS Hanging fabric panels in a doorway can
be a clever and versatile tool. They dull noise and stop 10
cold drafts coming from real doors and add mystery.
When closed, family members know to stay away.  
UNITY RULES Go for harmony when using different
textures and soft furnishings so that each room in your
home complements the others. Avoid using textures,
patterns and styles on soft furnishings that change
abruptly from one room to the next. 11

1 In a home by Edward Hurst, de Gournay hand-painted ‘Botanical Studies’ wallpaper by Michael S. Smith in Linnaeus
on Ecru Indian tea paper, $2400/915mm panel, degournay.com 2 Cane lampshade, POA, matildagoad.com. 3 Cushion
in ‘Seaweed’ linen, POA, sibylcolefax.com 4 ‘Tiger Grey’ sisal, $70/sqm, naturalfloor.com.au 5 West Sussex sitting room
by Martin Waller from Melissa’s book, Living Well By Design, $45, vendomepress.com 6 ‘Sanctuary’ queen bedhead slip
covers, $439 each, saarde.com 7 1970s Comini & Modonutti armchair, POA, nicholasandalistair.com 8 ‘Palmarum’
ashtray, $920, hermes.com/au 9 Sensi Studio straw vase, $241, matchesfashion.com 10 ‘Light Clint’ shawl, approx. $630,
roseuniacke.com 11 Bedroom by Tory Burch from Melissa’s book, Living Well By Design, $45, vendomepress.com

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LISMORE
A RC U S
Artistry that breathes new life into an
icon, the Lismore Arcus range showcases
crystal-cut patterning that is inspired
by unseen opulent interiors of Lismore
Castle. Each fascinating piece embodies
the vaulted ceiling architecture and
century-old Gothic details. Luxury
that is revered over and over, discover
tradition with a twist of modernity.

W AT E R FO R D C RY S TA L .C O M . AU

The Lismore L E G A C Y
Seven Decades Encapsulated in Crystal
 Creative Space RIGHT NOW

Natural
CONNECTION
A shared appreciation of nature was a welcome element in
Daniel Boddam’s transformation of a former warehouse into
a tranquil workplace for landscaping practice Wyer & Co.
Photography PABLO VEIGA

This page Landscape designer Anthony Wyer and architect Daniel Boddam in the lounge area at the entrance to the Wyer & Co studio. Designed as a workplace
sanctuary, the Botany warehouse features locally crafted furniture, such as the ‘Wave’ sofa upholstered in ‘Fabio’ boulclé from Warwick Fabrics as well as the
‘Pipi’ table, both by Daniel Boddam. A bowl from Studio Elke sits on the table. ‘Odessa’ rug from Armadillo. Adding interest are the rammed concrete ‘Geo Drum’
side table/stool by Daniel Boddam and a carved totem sculpture by Clementine Maconachie.

93
RIGHT NOW Creative Space
This page, clockwise from top left
‘Wave’ armchair by Daniel
Boddam, bobbin stool from East
Wing Studio and Nemo floor lamp.
Bamboo floor lamp from The Vault
Sydney, Frank Gehry ‘Easy Edges’
chair from Case 22 and sofa by
Percival Lafer from Tigmi Trading.
‘Geo’ table with concrete legs and
custom top designed by Daniel
Boddam and made by Hugh
Makin. Sculpture by Morgan
Stokes. ‘Lina’ chairs by Daniel
Boddam. ‘Regent’ round table
from Coco Republic. Marset table
lamp from Est Lighting on shelf.
W
HAT WERE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR WYER & CO’S
STUDIO, AND WHAT APPEALED ABOUT THE SITE?
Anthony Wyer: Ideally a building that could
accommodate and meet the distinct needs of
each of the three divisions of Wyer & Co under
one roof. I had been actively looking for the right space for almost
two years and was excited by its potential from the moment I saw
it. The external presentation was exactly what I was looking for –
beautiful brown bricks and steel windows – and the internal layout
was ready for an overhaul. Daniel Boddam: Sharing an affinity for
nature, we were able to transform Wyer & Co’s warehouse in
Sydney’s Botany into a workplace sanctuary, with verdant
landscaping, natural light, sustainable materials and locally crafted
furniture. Our brief was to design a collaborative, creative hub – a
place that would feel natural, calm, and welcoming. This was
paired with modernising of the existing amenity and transforming
it into an office space that could flex for both formal and informal
client presentations. The sustainable and natural elements were a
direct reflection of Anthony’s ethos. Our shared values as well as
the warehouse itself appealed as an opportunity to celebrate
nature within an industrial setting. WHAT DID THE ALTERATIONS
ENTAIL? Daniel: A complete renovation was required. The ground
floor contains parking, storage, bathrooms, kitchen and recreation
area – all upgraded in terms of the finishes, furniture, lighting and
custom joinery. With services largely confined to the ground
floor, the first floor comprises meeting rooms, director’s office,
communal workstations, and a lobby and gallery space that
provides a unique welcome for guests and clients. The director’s
office is centrally located between the main meeting room and the
open-plan work area and given Anthony’s desire for an “open-
door policy” we designed a lounge area in his office to allow for
informal meetings. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE COMPLETED SPACE?
Daniel: Warm, calm and inviting. Wyer & Co’s obvious
connection to nature has been emphasised through the interior
 This page, clockwise from top Daniel in the lounge area with his ‘Wave’
sofa, ‘Booham’ chair, ‘Portsea’ side table and ‘Pipi’ coffee table.
Artwork by Morgan Stokes from Curatorial+Co. Vase by Alessandro
Disarno. Nemo ‘Neo’ floor lamp from Mondoluce. ‘Lola’ table lamp
from Ke-Zu. On the American walnut desk from Daniel Boddam sits a
lamp by Sarah Nedovic Gaunt and antique ceramic from Redfern Art
Gallery. Carafe and glasses from Space. Artwork by Lara Hutton. In the
light-filled workspace, lamp from Spence & Lyda and stool from Fanuli.

connection to exterior landscaping and our considered selection of

custom and bespoke furniture and joinery. High-quality materials
come together with an abundance of light and space to create a
tranquil work environment. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE
ELEMENTS? Anthony: I am thrilled with the overall scheme, but
there are a few pieces that stand out. The workstations designed
by Dan and his team have been a huge success. I really enjoy the
natural timber doors and recycled timber boardroom table, also
designed by Dan with tabletop by Hugh Makin. Daniel: I love the
custom cabinet featuring the most beautiful cork inlay to its
facade. Not only beautiful, the cork is ideal for pinning up client
presentations while gently referencing the landscape. WHAT DO YOU
ENJOY ABOUT WORKING IN THE SPACE? Anthony: The simplicity of the
design, the tall ceilings and the natural light, which permeates the
steel windows. There’s also a generous amount of space,
encouraging collaboration between team members of each
division without stepping on each other’s toes. It’s a very calm and
enjoyable environment to work in. COULD YOU DESCRIBE A TYPICAL
WORKDAY? Anthony: I’m an early riser, so my day always starts with
exercise – either a one-on-one boxing session or a good sweat in
the garage on my wife’s Peloton. I have four children so after
exercise a little hustling is in order to get them up and ready for
school. My day then goes one of two ways – either on-site
consultations with prospective clients, which can take me all over
the city, or straight into the office where I work on a range of
projects at different stages with the design team. WHO HAVE BEEN

95
RIGHT NOW Creative Space

SOME OF YOUR ENDURING CREATIVE INFLUENCES? Anthony: My dear

friend and former employer Will Dangar has always been a
creative influence, as is anyone who approaches their craft with
integrity and an open mind. My love of travel always provides
endless inspiration and focus, and also a glimpse into the many
different ways people live their lives, both inside and out. Daniel:
One of my enduring creative influences is Christian Liaigre. I’m
drawn to the beauty and simplicity of his designs and his
celebration of materials. I’m also inspired by the thoughtfully
detailed tropical modernist architecture of Bedmar & Shi, now
known as Ernesto Bedmar Architects. WHICH OTHER DESIGNERS,
ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, WRITERS AND ARCHITECTS ARE INSPIRING YOU AT THE
MOMENT? Anthony: I am inspired by Robert Weir, Bruce Stafford
and Rob Mills, and I also really enjoy working with Tamsin
Johnson, Claire Delmar and Alexandra Kidd. From a landscape
perspective I am drawn to the work of Brazilian landscape architect
Luiz Carlos Orsini as well as Luciano Giubbilei. When it comes to
art I can’t wait to be in a position to purchase a ceramic piece from
Australian artist Alexandra Standen. Music – I just can’t get past
the old stuff, Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison and The Rolling
Stones. Daniel: Currently I’m inspired and excited by Mexican
architecture, in particular DCPP Architects and Alberto Kalach.
I am looking forward to exploring their work in the flesh when I
visit Mexico later this year. I love the way Pierre Augustin Rose
recently photographed their latest furniture collection among
antiquities – the juxtaposition is perfectly executed and a true
inspiration. WHAT OTHER PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN
THE COMING YEAR? Daniel: I’m looking forward to travelling more
freely again. Creatively, I find myself most inspired when
experiencing another culture and environment. Project-wise, I’m
continuously designing new furniture and lighting collections,
which I’m looking forward to sharing over the next few months –
including a series of lighting, tables and sofas all inspired by my
past travel experiences and the Australian landscape. Also
launching soon is my second virtual project, an architectural
response to reconnecting with nature and the catalyst for a new
furniture collection. I’m also looking forward to breaking ground
on architectural projects in Palm Beach and Mosman, Sydney.
danielboddam.com; wyerandco.com.au

This page, clockwise from top On the walnut and

brass ‘M-Table’ from Daniel Boddam are a vase
from Space and ceramic by Mel Lumb from Saint
Cloche. Stool by Alison Frith. Artwork by Graziela
Guardino. A Vitra ‘Akari 75A’ pendant light
hangs above the ‘Geo’ table, designed by Daniel,
on which sits a vessel from Space, vase from
Craft Victoria and sculpture by Morgan Stokes.
The warehouse’s “beautiful brown bricks”.
Custom shelving by DTech Joinery.
P HOTO G R A P H Y X X X X X X X X X

96
 Surface design for a better environment

WALL

Visualise Now
White Oak W-650

TIMBER LINEN LEATHER ABSTRACT METALLICS WHITEBOARD

)RUPRUHLQVSLUDWLRQYLVLWSRO\ÀRUFRPDX
 This page Beautiful parterre gardens surround the turn-of-the-century property that is home to Lydie du Bray Antiques in the NSW Southern Highlands. With her
French heritage, antiques dealer Lydie has impeccable style credentials as evidenced in the highly covetable collection of pieces on display. lydiedubrayantiques.
com.au 1 1950s French oak and straw fireside chair in the style of Charles Dudouyt whose work is known for its rustic and modernist sensibilities, $860, from East
Wing Studio. eastwingstudio.com 2 Christian Fischbacher ‘Throw-Puro (Plains)’ alpaca throw in Coral, POA, from Zepel. zepelfabrics.com 3 Black and silver
brooch, $69, from Twisting Vintage. (02) 4871 3080 4 Evoking the spirit of outdoor entertaining on a sunny terrace is the large striped ceramic fruit bowl from
Puglia, Italy, $380, from Alex and Trahanas. alexandtrahanas.com 5 Throwback chic — a selection of vintage scarf pins, from $20, from Twisting Vintage.
(02) 4871 3080 6+7 Leopard brooch, $99, and brass Brahmi containers, $150 and $199 each, all from Dirty Janes. dirtyjanes.com

belle

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unearthed from cavernous emporiums of curiosity.

En plein-air – paint an idyllic picture with a trove of

Edited by MARIA PAPANTONIOU Words JUDY PA SCOE Photography AL ANA L ANDSBERRY

vintage pieces bravely flaunting the patina of time and

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bazaar
5
This page Dirty Janes in Bowral is a magnet for lovers of vintage objets, furniture and clothing, eclectic finds and artisan pieces. More than 50 individual retailers
offer their wares in an impressive space of more than 1600 square metres. dirtyjanes.com 1+2 East Wing Studio is a newly established source of modern and
antique furniture, art and unique collectables from Europe, such as this vintage wrought-iron double candle sconce, $720, and short bobbin stools from France,
$530 each. eastwingstudio.com 3 Vintage French frame, $95, from Lydie du Bray Antiques. lydiedubrayantiques.com.au 4 Animal attraction — Gucci zebra heels,
$320, from Twisting Vintage. (02) 4871 3080 5 Straight out of a living room on Yellowstone is this cow skull, $295, from Dirty Janes. dirtyjanes.com 6 Casamance
Archipel collection ‘Lombok’ wallpaper, POA, from Zepel. zepelfabrics.com 7 An assortment of pre-loved treasures on a c1927 English oak & EPNS silver railed Art
Deco tray, $125, including a vintage skin clutch bag, $60, antique hand mirror, $70, vintage clothes brushes, from $25, and vintage travel souvenir fan, $45, all
from Dirty Janes. dirtyjanes.com 8 C1940 marble bunch of grapes, $495, from Lydie du Bray Antiques. lydiedubrayantiques.com.au 9+10 Gillian Herne curates a
swoon-worthy collection of high-quality, beautifully preserved fashion at Twisting Vintage, Mittagong, with pieces by Pucci and Vivienne Westwood, plus local
labels such as Covers, and pristine 1950s David Jones hat boxes. Selection of vintage belts, from $25, and retro bodysuit by Ilja Caesar, $279, all from Twisting
Vintage. (02) 4871 3080 11 One for the pool room, a vintage leather football, $125, from Dirty Janes. dirtyjanes.com

that convey a curated aesthetic.

Imbibe the heady spirit of alfresco living and dining with gentrified designs

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 Bazaar RIGHT NOW

Lush gardens and bucolic villas beckon to cocoon amid ancestral motifs and heraldic patterns

that create a narrative of nostalgia, elegance and refinement.

1
2

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10
4

7
8 6

This page The historic property ‘Kamilaroi’ was restored by Lydie du Bray and is now home to her antiques business which offers a cornucopia of treasures directly
sourced from France as well as locally consigned items. lydiedubrayantiques.com.au 1 Perfect for passing around the martinis is this wooden Florentine serving
tray, $390, from East Wing Studio. eastwingstudio.com 2 Vintage umbrella, $120, from Dirty Janes. dirtyjanes.com 3 1950s tabouret tripod chair in solid wood,
$620, from East Wing Studio. eastwingstudio.com 4 The finest diamond studs can nestle in this vintage Limoges porcelain trinket box, $375, from Lydie du Bray.
lydiedubrayantiques.com.au 5 Casamance ‘Jardin d’Hiver’ fabric, POA, from Zepel. zepelfabrics.com 6 Make an entrance in these Miu Miu suede pumps, $329, from
Twisting Vintage. (02) 4871 3080 7 1970s metal flower wall sconce, $610, from East Wing Studio. eastwingstudio.com 8 With an ever-changing roster of pieces from
garden follies to oil paintings, chandeliers to armoires, Lydie du Bray Antiques is a shopping experience like no other. lydiedubrayantiques.com.au 9 Light the way with
a pair of c1900 French wall sconces, $950, from Lydie du Bray Antiques. lydiedubrayantiques.com.au 10 Add character to the hearth with embellished fire bellows,
$120, from Dirty Janes. dirtyjanes.com 11 Verdigris lends rustic appeal to a mid-century Italian ceramic vase, $840, from East Wing Studio. eastwingstudio.com
 +61 1300 800 300
B RO DWA R E .CO M
@ B RO DWA R E

M A N U FAC T U R E D A N D
DESIGNED IN AUSTR ALIA
ARCHITEC TUR AL FIX TURES
W I T H 20 Y E A R S WA R R A N T Y
 Man RIGHT NOW

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5

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Sweat band 7

A serve of activewear with an 80s spin is

the name of the chicest game in town.
Produced by SAFFRON SYLVESTER

Gene Anthony
Ray as Leroy
Johnson in
Fame (1980).

10

12

11
P H OTO G R A P H Y A L A M Y ( F I L M ST I L L )

1 Dion Lee open-knit design polo shirt, $390, from Farfetch. 2 Carpe Diem sterling-silver men’s bracelet, $199, from Hardtofind. 3 Balenciaga ‘Explorer’
logo-appliqué canvas cross-body bag, $1090, from Matchesfashion.com. 4 Seguso Vetri d’Arte table lamp base by Archimede Seguso with custom shade
in Pierre Frey fabric, POA, from Nicholas & Alistair. 5 Bernini ‘543 Broadway’ chairs by Gaetano Pesce, $34,520/set of four, from 1stdibs. 6 Comme des
Garçons ‘Amazingreen’ EDP, $184/100ml, from Mecca. 7+8 Liberal Youth Ministry bleached cotton-jersey hooded sweatshirt, $336, and bleached cotton-
jersey track shorts, $258, both from Matchesfashion.com. 9 Alessi ‘Juicy Salif’ lemon squeezer, $175, from Hardtofind. 10 Klättermusen ‘Wunja’ mesh-
trimmed shell backpack in Gray, approx. $291, from Mr Porter. 11 Celine Eyewear square metal sunglasses, $680, from Matchesfashion.com. 12 ‘Squash’
limited colour-edition gold ashtray by Maria Sanchez for Memphis-Milano, $935, from 1stdibs. 13 Palomo Spain Spring 2022 Menswear. 14 Nike x J. Crew
‘Killshot 2’ sneakers, $214, from Farfetch. 15 Acne Studios wide-leg bootcut jeans, $460, from Farfetch. 16 Canetti red wall clock, $568, from 1stdibs.

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 RIGHT NOW Woman
A scene
from Fame
(1980). 2

1 2

15

14
16

4
12

Screen idol 5

Polish those hot dance moves and

13
take to the stage in 80s splendour.
Produced by SAFFRON SYLVESTER

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P H OTO G R A P H Y A L A M Y ( F I L M ST I L L )

1 Fenty Beauty ‘Gloss Bomb’ universal lip luminizer in Fussy $34/9ml, from Sephora. 2 Miu Miu Spring 2022 RTW. 3 Mid-century Art Deco industrial floor fan
by Diehl, $1143, from 1stdibs. 4 Multi pack of large scrunchies, $50, from Slip. 5 Khaite ‘Kaye’ sweetheart-neck jersey dress, $3041, from Matchesfashion.
com. 6 ’Keepall 50B’ soft travel bag, $6450, from Louis Vuitton. 7 Reebok x VB ‘Club C’ sneakers in Ceramic Pink, $280, from Victoria Beckham. 8 Dolce &
Gabbana logo-print sweatshirt, $1100, from Farfetch. 9 Davines ‘This Is A Strong Hairspray’ strong hold hairspray, $41, from Salon Style. 10 1950s Fritz
Hansen ‘Munkegaard’ school desk by Arne Jacobsen, $6808, from 1stdibs. 11 Raey stripe cotton-blend sport socks, $70, from Matchesfashion.com.
12 Creed ‘Wind Flowers’ EDP, $469/75ml, from Libertine Parfumerie. 13 Dolce & Gabbana high-waisted silk briefs, $345, from Farfetch. 14 Live The Process
ballet wrap-front cropped top, $167, from Matchesfashion.com. 15 FontanaArte glass coffee table by Gae Aulenti, $4027, from 1stdibs.

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German-made
Built-in Luxury
First-class German technology where
design meets functionality. The elegant
glass and stainless steel components
in the ICNh 5123 and ICNh 5133 make
this luxurious combination the aesthetic
highlight of your kitchen. Discover our
new built-in appliances at
home.liebherr.com.au

Refrigeration and Freezing

1 $ 7 8 5 $ / / <
) ( ( / 6 
%(77(5
HOMES Photography ANSON SMART

The life-enhancing alchemy of light, colour,

space and inspired design has conjured a
new age for these seven fabulous homes,
whatever their era.

SNACK B RE AK
‘Pretzel’ rattan armchairs from Atelier bask in
a light-drenched sunroom in a Federation-style
home recently revived by Belle Fanuli Interior
Designers of the Year Arent&Pyke.
See ‘Past Mastery’, p108.

107
HOME Sydney

Past mastery
Words JUDY PA SCOE Photography ANSON SMART Styling OLGA LEWIS

Arent&Pyke has the

knack of mixing styles and
eras with the greatest of
ease, as evidenced by this
inventive re-imagining of
a Federation home for a
vibrant young family.

108
 This page A breakfast nook at one end of the kitchen is the perfect spot for coffee, homework or a glass of wine before dinner, say the designers.
“It’s a versatile and intimate area, still connected to the action.” The custom leather-upholstered banquette with linen cushions is set into a sea-
green stained timber frame. The clients’ existing table was an appropriate fit for the space, paired with Artek ‘611’ chairs from Anibou. An Astep ‘VV
Cinquanta’ suspension pendant light from Mobilia is a dramatic addition. Santamargherita terrazzo in Rosa del Garda from Classic Tiles and Ananke
marble from Euro Natural Stone are used to great effect in the kitchen. On the bench is an artwork by Seth Birchall from Sullivan+Strumpf. Vase from
The DEA Store. Wooden bowl on table from Ondene. Opposite page Above an original marble fireplace hangs an artwork by Barbara Kitallides from
Curatorial+Co. Tom Dixon glass bowl from Living Edge.
This page An Ingo Maurer ‘Floatation’ suspension light from Space hangs above the ‘Tree’ dining table with bronze legs from Great Dane. Carl Hansen & Søn ‘CH24
Wishbone’ chairs from Cult. An Astep ‘VV Cinquanta’ suspension light from Mobilia hangs above the breakfast nook that has the clients’ existing table paired with
Artek ‘611’ chairs from Anibou. ‘Komm’ wooden bowl by Michaël Verheyden from Ondene. The kitchen is layered in a mix of Santamargherita Rosa del Garda terrazzo
from Classic Tiles and Ananke marble from Euro Natural Stone. Artwork is by Seth Birchall from Sullivan+Strumpf. Vase from The DEA Store. Opposite page, clockwise
from top left The casual living and dining area flows from the kitchen. ‘Tree’ table from Great Dane. ‘Wishbone’ chairs from Cult. Sancal ‘Elephant’ stool from Ke-Zu.
Artwork on the right wall is Sur Names by Mitch Cairns from The Commercial. A Turkish oushak rug from Tigmi Trading anchors the casual living room. A ‘Sunny’ sofa
in Indigo linen from Jardan is matched with a DePadova ‘Yak’ armchair from Boffi and a vintage coffee table from Conley & Co. A ‘Song’ armchair from Maker&Son
sits by the fireplace on the Turkish oushak rug from Tigmi Trading. Or Your Shadow Rising to Meet You 1 by Amanda Williams from The Commercial hangs behind.
 Sydney HOME

T
his delightful family home in Sydney’s inner west goes
by the sobriquet ‘Layer Cake’, inspired by the
interwoven elements that bind its heritage and
contemporary architecture together. The icing on the
cake, therefore, is surely the vision that designers
Arent&Pyke brought to the project, to create a warm, stylish,
light-filled haven for a family with three young children.
Putting a contemporary slant on a Federation-era house
without losing its intrinsic nature is a delicate art, but Juliette
Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke, along with design director
Genevieve Hromas, finessed it to perfection, having become
specialists in re-imagining heritage homes for modern living.
They bring a bold perspective and inventive personality to each
project, energising and invigorating them for a new generation.
This home, on a large corner block, was renovated and
extended by architects Carter Williamson in 2020, adding a
second-storey master bedroom, ensuite and walk-in robe, and
increasing the footprint downstairs with a new kitchen, casual
living and dining leading to the garden and new pool.
Arent&Pyke was consulted initially on interior architecture and
furnishing plans as the owners were keen for the modern
addition to respond sensitively to the Federation elements.
The now four-bedroom-plus-study home “was full of charm
from a bygone era”, says Juliette, and the heritage features –
decorative pressed-metal ceilings, timber fretwork and
leadlight windows – were integral to that charm. However, to »

111
 These pages, from left The formal lounge is painted a sunny yellow. ‘Cleo’ sofa from Jardan and vintage Danish armchairs from Grandfather’s Axe
with a scalloped oval stone and timber coffee table from Zuster. Aerin ‘Benit’ sculpted pendant light from The Montauk Lighting Co. Antique Malayer
Persian rug from 1stdibs. Vitsoe shelving unit with Oluce ‘Atollo’ table lamp from Euroluce. Framed artwork in bookshelf is Or Your Shadow Rising to
Meet You 4 by Amanda Williams from The Commercial.

112

« seamlessly unite the old and new, the home called for “layers
of colour, materiality and fine craftsmanship. There is a
richness to the use of colour and materiality that evokes the
masterful and balanced layering of a fine pâtissier,” explains
Sarah-Jane. As the home was also designed to accommodate
festivities with extended family the notion of cakes was top of
mind for the designers.
With that, an assortment of corresponding materials and
bold colour choices became the driving force throughout the
project, creating a dynamic backdrop to busy family life. The
Sydney HOME
selection of pink terrazzo in the kitchen was key “as that rich
hue set the tone for the rest of the house in terms of intensity
and warmth”, explains Juliette.
Elsewhere, the formal lounge sings with an inviting, sunny
deep-yellow shade, and a seating nook in the kitchen is finished
in sea-green stained timber with a caramel leather banquette.
“Colour acts as a guide throughout, leading from the original
rooms into the extension,” says Sarah-Jane. “The boldness of
the schemes is testament to our clients, who were excited to lean
into these combinations. The home vibrates with energy.” »
This page In the hallway is a vintage Turkish oushak runner from 1stdibs. Custom console in oak from Zuster with Oko Olo handles. Artwork is Untitled 2017-
2018 by Patrick Hartigan from The Commercial. Vase from Becker Minty. ‘Four-bowl’ pendant light from Anna Charlesworth. Opposite page A Gubi ‘Beetle’
swivel chair from Cult sits at the ‘Contour’ desk in smoked oak from Zuster. Artwork by Nathan Hawkes from Chalk Horse. Aerin ‘Benit’ sculpted pendant
light from The Montauk Lighting Co. Vintage handmade rug from 1stdibs. In the sunroom beyond are ‘Pretzel’ armchairs from Atelier.
Sydney HOME

115
HOME Sydney

SPEED READ
» Design practice Arent&Pyke was charged with creating a contemporary interior to complement a
Federation-era house in Sydney’s inner west. » A new upstairs addition and downstairs extension gave
the home more space and opportunity for its young family occupants. » Maintaining the heritage
features such as the leadlight windows and decorative pressed-metal ceilings, Arent&Pyke introduced
a curated mix of pieces against a backdrop of rich layers of colour and texture to provide a vibrant
environment that reflects the owners’ lifestyle and interests and brings the home into a new era.

« To parallel the Arts and Crafts character, contemporary
materials have been combined with detailed craftsmanship in
herringbone floors and fluted joinery, nail-raked rendering and
fine timber battening on the ceilings. “These features subtly
add depth and complexity throughout the addition and
renovated wet areas, providing a nod to the ornate treatment of
surfaces in the older rooms,” says Juliette.
Balancing the light between the old and new parts of the
home proved to be a challenge, but opening up the sunroom at
the front – now framed with timber fretwork and salvaged
brackets in keeping with the original detailing – allows light to
flood into the study and entry. In the extension, a double-height
void bathes the dining area and casual living space in a sunny
glow and helps to brighten all the downstairs rooms.
Decorative flourishes are many and come by way of vintage
Turkish oushak rugs and Persian carpets that anchor the
schemes in the living areas, sculptural lamps by Sarah Nedovic
Gaunt and Jaime Hayon, and standout light fittings by Noguchi,
Ingo Maurer, Michael Anastassiades and Anna Charlesworth.
Furniture includes cushiony sofas, vintage pieces such as the
Danish armchairs in the formal lounge room and design classics
such as Artek ‘611’ and Carl Hansen & Søn ‘Wishbone’ dining
chairs, along with custom-designed items and artworks.
It’s the details that beguile at every turn – the terrazzo tiling
in the enclosed verandah burnished by the afternoon
sunlight,  the  sweep of a linen curtain on herringbone
floorboards, the texture of a French rattan wall light in the
laundry, the bedheads upholstered in whimsical fabrics,
featuring Provençal lemons or painterly vase shapes – and all
the while the contemporary elements are both contrasting with
and complementing the heritage features.
This is a stylish family home where memories are being made,
where convivial gatherings are easily accommodated, cascading
out to the garden and pool. “Flow, connection to the outdoors
and intimate moments are all accounted for,” says Sarah-Jane. “It
is so satisfying to see how a space comes to life and is enjoyed by
the family – the ease, the joy, the connection it creates.”
The judicious mix of contemporary and heritage elements in
the richly layered scheme serves to enhance the occupants’
lives by surrounding them with beauty but without any sacrifice
of functionality. #
arentpyke.com; carterwilliamson.com
 This page, clockwise from top left In the ensuite bathroom Ananke marble from Euro Natural Stone was selected for the benchtop with Italian terrazzo used
for the floors. ‘Petal’ wall light from Studio & Co. Handmade ‘Casa’ tiles from Onsite clad the shower wall. Sika Design ‘Charlottenborg’ armchair from Domo
in a corner of a bedroom with Serax ‘Pawn’ side table from Finnish Design Shop. The children’s bedroom is enlivened by custom bedheads in Edit ‘Vases’
fabric. MD House ‘Vertex’ bedside tables from Fanuli with Jaime Hayon lamps from Cult. Kundalini ‘Kushi’ suspension light from Radiant Lighting. Tappeti
custom rug. Opposite page The main bedroom has a custom bedhead upholstered in Studio Four NYC ‘Grove Citron’ linen. ‘Profile’ bedside tables in American
oak from Zuster with ceramic lamps from Sarah Nedovic Gaunt.

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HOME Sydney

Words JUDY PA SCOE Photography RORY GARDINER

These pages, from left Intimate views of the beach and water are the main attraction of
this Sydney apartment, but the interior decoration is equally dazzling. The third bedroom
was opened up to allow for a larger living and dining zone. A European still life from auction
house Shapiro hangs above a Spanish console from Tamsin Johnson. In the dining area is a
Spanish c1910 oak table and four Audoux Minet chairs bought in Paris. The two end chairs, by
Charlotte Perriand, were bought in Spain and have custom seat pads by AP Design House.
Vintage Tuareg rug from Perryman Carpets. C1940 plaster wall sconce is one of a pair, bought
in Paris and finished with a custom linen shade by AP Design House. ‘Triangle’ pendant light
by Anna Charlesworth. Large artwork by Struan Teague from Fox Jensen Gallery. Ceramic
platter on table sourced in Paris. Linen blinds by AP Design House.
 R H A P S ODY
in blue
A deftly curated selection of vintage pieces, many

sourced in Paris, finds eloquent expression in

this chic beachside apartment in Sydney.

119
 ith the pellucid blue waters beckoning beyond

W the windows and a casual, eclectic vibe inside,

there’s more than a suggestion of the Riviera
about this stylish beachside apartment on
Sydney’s lower north shore. In fact, it’s very
easy to visualise Tom Ripley sprawled out along the length of
the custom sofa, basking in the elegance around him.
Alexandra Ponting of AP Design House has conceived this
mise-en-scène, and finessed it to the max. The apartment is in
a modernist red-brick block that dominates the northern end of
Balmoral and overlooks Edwards Beach. Once home to the
fabled Star Amphitheatre, the building was constructed in 1951
and remains largely unchanged today.
The owners, a downsizing couple, were understandably
attracted to the property because of its position and priceless
views to Sydney Heads. They engaged architect Michael Robilliard
& Associates to renovate and rejig the apartment prior to moving
in, altering its three-bedroom layout to two, enabling the creation
of a larger living and dining space within the footprint.
Alexandra came to the project on a chance encounter through
Instagram. “The client was particularly drawn to two Jenny
Topfer artworks we have hanging in the studio. She popped in one
day and introduced herself and there was an immediate »
 Sydney HOME

This page The living room has a relaxed and open feel. Belgian linen sofa by AP Design House, a vintage Italian timber armchair with blue-and-white striped
upholstery and an armchair in Italian navy linen sit on a custom jute rug. Brutalist-style coffee table with slate top bought in Paris on a custom limestone
base by AP Design House. Bamboo side table by Vivai del Sud. Blackened steel side tables by AP Design House. Table lamps sourced in Belgium with custom
shades by AP Design House. Large artwork by Jenny Topfer from Fox Jensen Gallery adjacent to a smaller 1960s lithograph by Antoni Tàpies. Artwork on
wall in foreground sourced in Paris. Opposite page, from top A banquette seat runs the length of the windows and is an inviting spot to take in the exquisite
surrounds. The softness of the Belgian linen sofa is contrasted with the Brutalist coffee table. The dining space looking towards the living area with a c1880
Arts and Crafts oak credenza bought in Paris. The c1940 plaster wall sconce is one of a pair, bought in Paris and finished with a linen shade.

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HOME Sydney

122
These pages, from left The c1910 Spanish oak dining table and four Audoux Minet chairs were bought in Paris. The two end chairs
are by Charlotte Perriand and were bought in Spain. The chairs have custom seat pads by AP Design House. The c1940 plaster
wall sconces were bought in Paris and finished with custom shades by AP Design House. Pendant light by Anna Charlesworth.
Ceramic platter on table sourced in Paris. Linen blinds by AP Design House. Artwork by Isaac Nixon. The entrance hall offers a
tantalising glimpse of the view. Custom jute runner with border by AP Design House. Console from Porta Romana holds a vase
by Alana Wilson. Custom parchment and leather wall lamp, custom joinery and wall render by AP Design House.
HOME Sydney

SPEED READ
» Alexandra Ponting of AP Design House was tasked with delivering the decoration to this beachside apartment
on Sydney’s north shore. » Located in a 1951-built block the apartment’s floor plan was reconfigured from three
bedrooms to two by architect Michael Robilliard and Associates, allowing for larger living and dining spaces.
» To counter the absence of an outdoor area Alexandra specified built-in banquettes that run the length of the
windows in the living room and main bedroom, and offer mesmerising views across the water. » A buying trip
to Paris unearthed some eclectic furniture pieces and accessories that provide texture and personality against
the backdrop of the rough rendered walls. » While the scheme is neutral, a sprinkling of blue and white stripes
throughout adds to the charming coastal aesthetic.
 This page The main bedroom enjoys the same sublime vista as the living area. Banquette seat with linen upholstery and bolsters, linen roman blinds and bedhead, all
by AP Design House. Bed linen by Olatz. Vintage cane bedside tables bought in Paris. Custom leather and parchment wall light by AP Design House. C1960 bamboo
and rattan wall mirror, in the style of Franco Albini, sourced in Paris. Opposite page Custom dresser designed by AP Design House and made by Jonathan West. Table
lamp by Lucy Montgomery with custom parchment shade by AP Design House. Custom jute rug by AP Design House. French artwork in original frame from Studio ALM.

« affinity between us,” she says. The client was also attracted
to the design studio’s casually elegant aesthetic and its facility
for including unexpected elements.
While the structural work was being completed, Alexandra
devised a neutral palette for the apartment based around
another Jenny Topfer work which now is a focal point of the
living room. Tactile finishes enhance the subdued nature of
the scheme with custom rough render on the walls and materials
such as wicker, slate, stone and metal granted equal billing. “It
goes without saying that the blue water and stunning view is
the hero of the apartment and our design choices worked to
support this and not overtake it,” says Alexandra.
While the apartment had been almost completely gutted
the  original tall casement windows were retained allowing
for the magic view to take centre stage, and the simplicity of the
interior architecture called for graphic design notes. “Our brief
was to complement and soften the sharp lines through
decoration,” says Alexandra.
In the monochrome living room an Italian timber armchair
with custom striped upholstery and a custom swivel armchair
covered in navy Italian linen add punch, with occasional tables
in bamboo, blackened steel, and slate and limestone creating
punctuation points.
To counteract the absence of an outdoor terrace, Alexandra
specified a linen-upholstered banquette seat that runs the
length of the windows in both the living area and main
bedroom. “It creates the illusion of hovering over the beach,
almost as if you are lying on the water,” the designer says. “It is
incredibly special, and there is always a wonderful breeze that
blows right through the apartment.”
In keeping with the classic coastal ambience, blue-and-white
stripes have been dotted throughout, from the upholstery on
the Italian armchair in the living room to the bedhead in the
main bedroom and the banquette seats.
A buying trip to Paris yielded many of the standout pieces for
this special abode, including the Brutalist slate-topped coffee
table, Audoux Minet dining chairs, c1880 oak credenza and the
Spanish oak dining table, and for the main bedroom, a 1960s
bamboo and rattan mirror, and vintage cane bedside tables. To
that were added custom pieces such as the cream Belgian linen
sofa, the jute hall runner, and a parchment and leather wall
lamp, as well as Tuareg floor rugs, sculptural pendant lights by
Anna Charlesworth and Charlotte Perriand dining chairs from
Spain. All add texture, personality and a sense of permanence.
It’s a breezy, insouciant mix assembled with an assured hand
yet it feels completely effortless. There is an artisanal, curated
quality emphasised by the accessories, from the vase by Alana
Wilson, a hand-painted ceramic platter found in Paris and
a vintage French sketch in its original frame.
The owners, who use the apartment as a retreat as well as
a place to entertain family and friends, say they love every single
thing about it. “It is just the best home. It feels so beautiful.
When I walk in, my heart just feels so happy.” #
apdesignhouse.com.au; michaelrobilliard.com.au

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HOME Melbourne

These pages In the living room, a collection of artworks is

displayed salon style. In the top row, artworks are by (from
left) Todd Hunter, Huseyin Sami, Tom Polo, Jonny Niesche,
Robert Owen and Gemma Smith. In the middle row, a work
by Michael Staniak hangs above paintings by Karen Black
and Robert Malherbe alongside works by Michael Muir,
Claudia Damichi and Karen Black. In the bottom row,
a landscape by Guy Maestri hangs above a work by Aida
Tomescu. The large colourful work is by Robert Owen, beside
which hangs works by Dane Lovett and Tom Polo, with
a yellow work by Makinti Napanangka to the right. Antique
table. John Pawson bowl/sculpture on a mirrored bench.
A Cassina ‘LC2’ armchair by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret
and Charlotte Perriand is placed in conversation with the
B&B Italia ‘Charles’ sofa by Antonio Citterio.

126
When designer Shareen Joel converted her 1980s
home from dated to dreamy, the result was a

BEGINNINGS
NOUVELLE

contemporary do-over with subdued French accents.

Words C ARLI PHILIP S Photography SHARYN CAIRNS
HOME Melbourne

I
t’s hard to imagine that just a few years ago this home was in an
80s time warp of chequerboard marble floors, padded silk
upholstered walls, heavy drapes with scalloped pelmets, shiny
granite benchtops and decorative columns. When Melbourne-
based designer Shareen Joel and her husband bought the house it
needed a contemporary rethink but it also had some major drawcards
and much potential. “It was beautiful, in a Dynasty kind of way, and
immaculate, as if nobody had ever lived there,” says Shareen.
As an architectural designer, interior architect and registered
building practitioner, Shareen recognised instantly the value of the
structure’s solidity. Any glimmer of doubt was appeased by Michael
Schuurmans at Visioneer Builders, the company she enlisted to work
on the renovation. In a twist of fate, it turned out that Michael was
the original foreman on the house in the 80s. “I drew up the floor
plan before we even bought it to ensure we could get everything in.
When I showed Michael he confirmed that not only was it a brilliant
house but that we could definitely do what I wanted,” says Shareen.
While she planned to retain the house’s single-storey pavilion
concept, it needed to be widened to reconfigure some new spaces and
utilities. Working with architect Tarryn Joyce, Shareen raised the
ceilings throughout by removing a heavy, angled bulkhead running
along the south side. She stretched internal openings to elongate the
doorways, some of which were replaced with antique French doors.
Outside, the parapets were lifted to conceal gutters and downpipes,
and the facade shaved of decorative details, including ornate window
frames and coining, for a seamless and slimmer appearance. »
This page, clockwise from top left A vintage artwork sits on a shelf above the sink in the scullery. The kitchen island and benchtop were fitted with a volcanic
stone. In the background, the French doors are from Shareen’s personal collection. Cassina ‘Cab’ bar stools by Mario Bellini. New American oak floorboards
were installed. Opposite page, from top Looking from the entrance into the dining room, an antique side table holds a small artwork by Scott Redford. The
adjacent larger work is by Colin Pennock with another all-white piece by Gemma Smith behind the dining table and Cassina ‘Cab’ chairs. Moooi ‘Container’
round black table by Marcel Wanders from Space. In the study, where the cedar walls were charred and finished on site, Cassina ‘Cab’ chairs attend a Knoll
‘Tulip’ table by Eero Saarinen. Blue Armchair artwork by Clara Adolphs. Nemo ‘Lampe De Marseille’ wall light. On the shelves, a vintage artwork by an
unknown artist sits beside a still life by Pam Tippett.

129

This page Shareen sits on a vintage desk
with a vintage timber chair to one side
and a Cassina ‘LC7’ swivel chair by
Charlotte Perriand on the other. Cassina
‘Superleggera’ chair by Gio Ponti and
Louis Poulsen ‘AJ’ floor lamp by Arne
Jacobsen. Artwork by Colin Pennock.
Opposite page, clockwise from top left
The living room with its B&B Italia
‘Charles’ sofa and ‘Diesis’ coffee table is
reflected in the Glas Italia ‘Noor’ floor
mirror by Piero Lissoni from Space. In the
powder room, an antique mirror is
positioned above a custom basin in
volcanic stone. In the formal sitting room,
the space is anchored by an antique Heriz
rug, on which sits a sleek coffee table.
B&B Italia ‘Tufty-Too’ sofa by Patricia
Urquiola, antique bergère and Cassina
‘LC2’ armchairs. An artwork by Tom Polo
is exhibited above a Vitra ‘Butterfly’ stool
by Sori Yanagi.
Melbourne HOME
« To cosy up the front study and living room, the walls have been
clad in a rich chocolate-hued cedar that was treated on site. “We
burnt it with a blowtorch and then wire-brushed it to remove all the
soft wood, leaving the hard wood which made the grain pop. I didn’t
want timber off the shelf. I love that it still smells charred and a little
bit of black is still visible on your fingers when you touch it,” says
Shareen. As for the rest of the home’s chalky walls, their surfacing
was a happy accident. “Because the house is such solid brick it needed
to be plastered before being painted over. When we came back from
a vacation early and I saw the untreated plaster I just fell in love with
its rawness. There was no way I was going to paint over it. Because it’s
not a decorative finish it needed to be waxed over to minimise any
marking, but it’s the real McCoy. Had we come back from that
holiday on time I never would have known.”
The front portico opens into a generous entrance hall, its glossy
floors replaced with American oak. To the right a newly designed
powder room features a heavy volcanic stone basin juxtaposed with
an oversized distressed French mirror. Opposite, running along the
north side, is a timber-lined study followed by a generous lounge
featuring an eclectic gallery of artworks and a bank of large windows.
Behind a sliding door across the hall is a cosy family room, its dark
walls illuminated with a bright artwork by Tom Polo. From the main
hall, the floor plan narrows to accommodate a long kitchen and
dining area before widening again for the private quarters where
there are three bedrooms, all with ensuites. The home’s U-shaped »
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HOME Melbourne

SPEED READ
» When designer Shareen Joel purchased this home it was in mint
condition and decorated in true 1980s style. » Shareen recognised
the building’s high quality and solidity, which was confirmed by
Michael Schuurmans, a founding director of Visioneer Builders, who,
to her surprise, had worked as a foreman on the property when it
was built more than 30 years ago. » Shareen both widened and lifted
the ceiling by removing the bulkheads and stretching the doorways
and windows. » The plastered walls have been left in their untreated
condition for a raw, chalky appearance. » Clean, white joinery
throughout has been topped with slabs of deep-grey volcanic stone.
» The cedar timber cladding has been blowtorched and wire-brushed
for a grainy texture. » The home is filled with vintage Italian furniture,
modern art and antique French finds.

132
« configuration frames an internal plunge pool and courtyard that
will eventually showcase a large gnarled olive tree.
The house is furnished with Shareen’s collection of vintage
Italian furniture and a subtle infusion of traditional French
features such as a bateau bathtub, classic tapware, a  patinated
crested mirror, a period chest of drawers and crinkled linen sheers.
Combined with crisp-edged joinery and volcanic stone in the
kitchen and wet areas, it’s a small Parisian nod among the modern.
When Shareen lifted all her archival pieces from storage, she
also took out some items to sell. A happy accident saw her move an
old Moooi table to the central hall temporarily only to find it
looked exceptionally well-suited in the spot. “It reminded me that
if you buy things you truly love they will work anywhere,” she
says. Similarly, an old pair of Cassina ‘LC2’ armchairs in a rich
Bordeaux colour that she had planned to re-upholster also worked
remarkably well. “I had every intention of changing the fabric. In
fact, I hated that colour until I brought them here. Now, they look
surprisingly perfect.” # shareenjoel.com

This page, clockwise from top An artwork by Gemma Smith enlivens the otherwise monochromatic palette and
unfinished plaster walls in the master bedroom. Shareen favours classic features with French accents including the
‘Hanley’ bateau bath and tapware from The English Tapware Company. The deep-grey volcanic stone seen in the kitchen
and powder room also stars on the bathroom surfaces. Opposite page In the master bedroom, an artwork by Martine
Emdur and a smaller piece by Bronte Leighton-Dore are displayed with a Flos ‘Taccia’ table lamp by Achille and Pier
Giacomo Castiglioni on an antique chest of drawers. Cassina ‘LC2’ armchair.
HOME Sydney
These pages, from left In the spacious living room on the first floor, Noel Tunks’ exquisitely detailed portrait of Queen Elizabeth I painted with a white, distorted face
has always been a talking point for jeweller Tony White’s guests. It is flanked by Troy Emery’s Lavender, 2017, in rayon fringing and polyurethane, and a mixed media
work by Linde Ivimey, The Horseman, 2017, both of which sit on Italian ‘grand tour’ faux books on marble-topped tables. The shield-like wall sculpture is by Tony’s
partner, Alexander Michael. Under the window is a long console in sterling silver and flame mahogany by Alexander, who also designed the cluster of mirrored tables.
A recent addition, the armchairs are from Camerich. The exterior scheme of terracotta walls and blue and green trim was devised by George Freedman in the 1970s.

134
JEWEL CITIZEN

A beacon of originality, this home

luxuriates in gem-like colours seen on
a dazzling collection of myriad forms.
Words + styling JE AN WRIGHT Photography ANSON SMART
 This page Keith Looby’s work The Last Supper presides over the living room on the second floor and comprises a Celtic cross in five panels. A Peter D. Cole
sculpture stands on one of the mirror tables. An 18th-century Italian sunburst mirror radiates on the landing. Opposite page, clockwise from top left A window
that faced a side street was filled in to display Linde Ivimey’s powerful mixed media sculpture, The Twelve Apostles, 2006. Suspended from the ceiling is Flight
of the Unknown Apostle by Alexander. The 1909 three-storey Potts Point terrace offers glimpses of the harbour. In the expansive entrance hall busts by
Guy Maestri, a recent commission by Alexander, are in cast bronze rendered to look like plasticine. Wide hallways are a feature of the terrace.
 Sydney HOME

ne of Australia’s most celebrated creators of fine

O jewellery, Tony White, who died in May 2020, began

his glittering career after training as an architect and
briefly practicing in the field. It was an experience that
put him in “a different category”, as the multitalented
artist later recalled, and in the 1970s, when I first met Tony, he was
still working in architecture but had already started designing
jewellery from the spare bedroom of his home, then in Paddington.
Largely self taught, Tony first exhibited his jewellery and
decorative objects at Bonython Gallery in Paddington when he
was 29. Rather than shops, he opted to show in art galleries, where
he was represented by Philip Bacon Galleries in Brisbane and
Australian Galleries in Melbourne and Sydney, and his pieces
were appreciated as the fine art they were. In later years, he held
trunk shows in New York, Chicago and Houston.
In 1979, Tony moved to this grand Victorian terrace in Potts
Point’s Victoria Street, which he shared until his death with his
partner, designer Alexander Michael, and their schnauzer, Bozo.
Spacious and gracious, the house revels in high ceilings, wide
hallways and fabulous staircases. The end house in a row of four
1909 terraces recently saved from demolition, it had been
vandalised and needed major work when Tony first bought it. The
original wooden staircases were intact, but the roof, ceilings,
architraves and cornices all had to be replaced.
The adjoining terraces had been divided into spacious
apartments by architect Peter Stronach. The exterior colour
scheme of terracotta walls, lattice verandahs in palest blue and
trims in blue and green was devised by interior designer George
Freedman who lived with his partner, architect Neville Marsh, in
the top-level apartment next door (Belle May/June 1980). All four
terraces are still distinguished with the same palette today. »

137
HOME Sydney
 This page The showroom and viewing room on the ground floor was designed by Alexander. Formerly black, the walls are now anodised aluminium panels studded
with gilded bumblebees. The cabinet is filled with finds from Tony’s travels that were inspiration for his jewellery. On the Knoll ‘Tulip’ table the necklaces on the busts
are African silver with Venetian glass beads. The tusks are set on silver bases. An artwork by Alexander is reflected in the mirror. Opposite page Tony’s street-level
study displays a Keith Looby artwork behind the antique desk which is attended by a Herman Miller chair by Charles and Ray Eames. This work once hung in the
dining room and was another that served as a talking point with its confronting, deranged faces. Desk lamp by Ralph Lauren. Original argon gas pendant light.

139
HOME Sydney

140
 « For Tony, the property served as both salon and showplace
for his many fabulous finds from far-flung places, the rewards of
years of collecting and travelling across the world that were often
the inspiration for his jewelled creations.
At the street entrance, Tony’s jewel box of a showroom on the
ground floor was where favoured clients were able to have a special
viewing. The living and dining rooms on the floor above housed
his collection of wonderful paintings, fine antique furniture and
objets d’art that spilled into the bedrooms on the top floor. His
home was a harmonious mix of unexpected combinations. He was
attracted to things that were beautifully constructed and finished,
bold of colour, design, materials and vision, like his jewellery,
where each piece was unique for clients that included Australian
and international celebrities such as Carmen Dell’Orefice, Carla
Zampatti, Cate Blanchett, Kylie Minogue and Ita Buttrose.
Stylish dinner parties around the massive table were the norm
with great food conjured by their live-in cook. Stuart Purves,
director of Australian Galleries, describes those dinners, of which
there were many, as “generous, intelligent, delicious, lively and
accompanied by great humour”. Tony’s great friend Brett Whiteley
was often there wearing the ‘yin yang’ brooch in gold, ivory and
tortoiseshell that was created for him. Other artists frequently in
attendance were Jeffrey Smart, who Tony met as an 18-year-old
student, Charles Blackman and Margaret Olley, to name a few.
Tony enjoyed creating shockwaves. He had a wonderful sense
of humour and was a fascinating raconteur. The artworks he
collected were a great conversation starter, among them Noel
Tunks’ depiction of Queen Elizabeth I in an exquisitely painted
gown and jewellery with a feather fan but with her whitened face
mask-like and disturbingly scarred. Similarly, in the adjoining
dining room, is another work by Noel featuring the warrior queen
and feminine virgin with a skeletal horse looming over her.
In the living room a street-side window was filled in to display
Linde Ivimey’s work – her interpretation of the 12 apostles chained
together in a row. Again, a great talking point that often set people
thinking. Linde visited the house to install the works, which are
quite delicate. In striking contrast the last work commissioned by
the couple was by street artist Cameron Scott known as NOTNOT
(@notnotcamscott) but sadly Tony did not live to see it installed.
Following Tony’s death and prior to our photography much of
his antique furniture, many artworks and all remaining jewellery
were auctioned by Bonhams in October 2020. Contemporary
seating in the living room now mingles with the remaining
antiques and while what remains of Tony’s exquisite work is held
in many galleries and museums, it is mostly in the hands of private
clients, where it enriches the best collections around the world.
In the words of his longtime friend, gallerist Philip Bacon, who
wrote the foreword to the Bonhams catalogue, Tony’s jewellery
gave “endless pleasure to its owners” and the man himself was an
“endless delight to his friends”. His pieces can be seen in Tony White
Jeweller by Andy Quan with photography by Grant Matthews, Stan
Ciccone, Grant Mudford and David Roach. The book is available
from Bonhams, Sydney, and the National Gallery, Canberra. #

This page, from top Above a side table in the dining room an artwork by Noel Tunks features Queen Elizabeth I and a skeletal horse. The lamps are Georgian and
the orange ceramic sculpture is by the late James Draper. A David Rankin artwork hangs in the passage from the kitchen to the dining room. Opposite page
The dining room with its huge table where stylish dinner parties were once the norm. “It was a salon, a celebration of life and friendship,” says Tony’s friend and
Brisbane gallerist Philip Bacon. A Georgian chandelier and the gilt mirror contrast with a pair of graphic works by street artist Cameron Scott flanked by a pair of
carved angels. On the mantelpiece, a tortoiseshell mounted on silver and travertine by Tony. The period dining chairs were updated with skin throws.
This page In the second bedroom, which also serves as a study, a pair of 18th-century Italian chairs and on the mantelpiece a pair of gazelle antlers mounted on
silver by Tony. A botanical work by Paul Jones rests on the writing desk. The antique chandelier is Russian. The ornate Chinese doors lacquered in black and gold
are also antique. Opposite page In the main bedroom on the top floor there is a fox fur on the bed. The Jason Benjamin painting was bought at the artist’s first
exhibition and has hung ever since above the bed. One of a pair of Chinese screens acquired with the help of Tony’s long-time architect friend, Kenneth Ko.

142
 Sydney HOME

SPEED READ
» Bought by then aspiring jeweller Tony White in 1979, this 1909 Victorian
terrace in Sydney’s Potts Point was the end house of a row of four. » The
architect-trained jeweller shared the property with his partner, designer
Alexander Michael. » Architect George Freedman devised the exterior colour
palette of terracotta, blue and green, which is still in place today. » The
original wooden staircases were intact but the property had been occupied
by squatters and was in disrepair with the roof, ceilings, architraves and
cornices needing to be replaced. » Tony proceeded to fill the terrace with
fabulous travel finds, antique furniture and objects, and artworks, with
some dating from the 1970s, and some pieces by Alexander. » The property
also served as a showroom for Tony’s jewellery clients, who included
celebrities from Australia and abroad including Carmen Dell’Orefice,
Carla Zampatti and Cate Blanchett.
HOME Melbourne

Words JUDY PA SCOE Photography RHIANNON TAYLOR

L IG H T N E S S
o f BE I NG

A light-handed
intervention has
brought a fresh
energy and ease
of living to this
Edwardian-era
home, helping to
turn its owners
into keen
entertainers.

144
This page The soft shades of Brush-tail Possum Dreaming by Judith Nungarrayi Martin keeps the mood
fresh and light in the new open-plan space at the back of the house. Prostoria ‘Rhomb’ dining table
and Softline ‘Karm’ chairs from Collective. DePadova ‘Elementi’ light fitting from Boffi. On the table,
Atipico ‘Arca Centerpiece’ and ‘Classico’ object, both from Collective. Opposite page The entrance hall,
like the rest of the house, was fitted with ‘Oak Superbianco’ floorboards from Admonter. Underfloor
heating throughout helps to keep the atmosphere comfortable through winter. Woud ‘Tray Shelf’ from
Floc Studio holds a sculpture by Jenna Lee from Mars Gallery. Muuto pendant lights from Living Edge.
Walls painted in Dulux ‘Lexicon Quarter’.
 Melbourne HOME

This page, from top The kitchen is restrained and elegant with its oak joinery, benchtops in honed Elba marble and splashback in Inax ‘Shijin
Yu-Rin’ tiles from Artedomus. Skagerak Denmark ‘Georg’ rack in oak from Top3 by Design. Fisher & Paykel appliances. Qasair rangehood.
Owner Lucy loves the facility of the island bench where she can prepare dinner while chatting to guests as well as supervising her young
daughters. Opposite page The open-plan space is bathed in natural light and the pale palette chosen by Carole helps to keep the mood calm.
Prostoria ‘Rhomb’ dining table with Atipico ‘Arca Centerpiece’ and Softline ‘Karm’ chairs, all from Collective. DePadova ‘Elementi’ light fitting
from Boffi. Prostoria sofa from Collective in the sitting area. Vibia ‘Pin’ floor lamp and RBW ‘Ledge Round’ wall sconce, both from Koda
Lighting. On shelf, small black vessel by Ella Bendrups from Craft Victoria and large white vessel by Katarina Wells from Curatorial+Co.

mbracing t heir new-found ent husiasm for

E entertaining, the owners of this recently renovated

home in Melbourne’s Armadale give full credit to
interior designer Carole Whiting for the change in
their lifestyle. “We never thought of ourselves as
very social people nor frequent entertainers,” says owner Lucy,
“but the house is now so warm and inviting and easy that every
weekend we seem to have guests over.”
It’s a far cry from the c1901 house they bought in 2019. Lucy
and her husband George loved the generous size of the property,
the front and back gardens, and they could see the potential for
creating an agreeable family home. The Edwardian-era detailing,
high ceilings, marble fireplaces and deep casement windows were
impressive but the house, particularly at the back, was dark and
uninviting. “After spending three months there we knew we had
to renovate soon because it was so cold and draughty,” says Lucy.
Unfamiliar with the city’s design community, they searched for
someone to help with the process. “We felt the home needed
interior decoration rather than structural intervention so we spent
a year going through the portfolios of designers on the internet,”
says Lucy. Finally they found Carole through Instagram and
instantly felt her ethos aligned with theirs. “Having spent so long
searching for someone, once we engaged Carole we tried to be as
hands off as possible. We trusted her to guide the process and relied
on her expertise and relationships with suppliers and builders.”
Carole immediately could see the need to open up the back of
the house and she worked with Brayshaw Architects to modernise
the floor plan and facilitate an easy flow within the existing »

147
HOME Melbourne

This page The sitting area of the new open-plan space is anchored by a rug from Halcyon Lake. Prostoria sofa, Montis ‘Ella’ armchairs, Pianca ‘Abaco’ coffee
tables and Atipico vessels (left, on shelf), all from Collective. On shelf (right), small black vessel by Ella Bendrups from Craft Victoria and large white vessel by
Katarina Wells from Curatorial+Co. Low resin bowl on coffee table from Dinosaur Designs. Vibia ‘North’ pendant lamp, Vibia ‘Pin’ floor lamp and RBW ‘Ledge
Round’ sconces, all from Koda Lighting. Opposite page, from top The study area is neat and unobtrusive with American oak joinery and a felt-covered inset.
Skandiform ‘Fendo’ chair from KFive. Small artwork by Kir Larwill. Vibia ‘Pin’ desk lamp from Koda Lighting. In the entrance hall, Woud ‘Tray Shelf’ from Floc
Studio holds a sculpture by Jenna Lee from Mars Gallery. Black ceramic vessel by Cassie Hansen and small white ceramic vessel by Kris Coad.

148
« envelope. As with most older homes light was an issue and
“allowing the house to breathe” was an important consideration.
The back of the house was awkward, with a small kitchen and
a brick wall blocking access to light and the outdoors – not conducive
to easy family living with the owners’ two young daughters. Opening
up the rear of the house with tall steel-framed glass doors and
designing a new kitchen and casual living area has completely
reinvigorated the whole environment. “We wanted one space where
we could cook, eat and have an area for the girls to play,” says Lucy.
“Carole definitely fulfilled that brief, and we love that it’s so warm
and inviting. It’s allowed us to feel very comfortable entertaining as
I can cook and still connect with guests and with the kids as well.”
Carole says, “The existing house provided opportunities to
reveal and celebrate period details while introducing modern
elements to newer spaces. Walls became less solid and transparent
sections generated openness and expansiveness.” The distinct
precincts – kitchen, pantry, laundry, dining, sitting and home
office – all sit within plain sight of each other, yet while their
texture and tone blend together, each feels quite separate. The
textured and tempered palette of the new open-plan space creates a
light, bright mood with the pale and neutral scheme defined by »

“T H E HOUSE IS
N OW S O WA R M
A N D I N V ITI NG
A N D E A S Y T H AT
E V E RY W E E K E N D
W E S E E M T O H AV E
G U E S T S OV E R .”
 SPEED READ
» The significant proportions and beautiful details of
this c1901 home in Melbourne’s Armadale were not
overlooked in the contemporary reinvention by Carole
Whiting Studio. » The owners loved the expansiveness
of the Edwardian-era property but the back was dark
and uninviting and they wanted a large, open-plan
space where they could cook and eat, and supervise
their two young daughters at play. » Carole, along
with Brayshaw Architects, created a contemporary,
light-filled, multipurpose space that has more than
satisfied the owners’ wishes as well as encouraging
them to become frequent entertainers. » As a foil for
the light, bright back of house, the master bedroom
has been swathed in a deep inky blue, providing
a play between dark and light and enhancing what
Carole describes as “a journey of discovery” from
the old part of the house to the new.
 Melbourne HOME

This page, clockwise from top left The ensuite is a favourite part of the house. “We bathe the girls here at night – the underfloor heating makes it so
warm and calming,” says Lucy. On the walls, ‘Spatula Bianco’ tiles from Tiento. Fiandre ‘Urban White’ floor tiles from Artedomus. Custom mirror.
Sphera ‘O-Lamp’ wall sconces and RBW ‘Mori’ sconce, all from Koda Lighting. Agape ‘Immersion’ bath from Artedomus. Astra Walker ‘Icon+’ tapware
and accessories from Mary Noall. SCP ‘Ulrik’ stool from Hub. Loom towels. The master bedroom has a Vibia ‘Tempo’ bedside light from Koda Lighting.
Artwork by August Carpenter on Pianca ‘Dedalo’ bedside table from Collective. Opposite page The moody master bedroom is painted in Dulux ‘Biro
Blue’ with an expanse of white Venetian plaster serving as a bedhead. Pianca ‘Piumotto’ bed from Collective. Pillowslips from Society Limonta.
Bemboka bedspread from In Good Company. Skandiform ‘Fendo’ chair from KFive. Vibia ‘Tempo’ bedside light and wall sconce from Koda Lighting.

« American oak floorboards and joinery, Elba marble, and sleek,

elegant furniture, complemented by contemporary lighting from
renowned brands such as Vibia and DePadova. All feels very calm
and refined. The pale oak floorboards were such a success that
they were carried through to the rest of the house. “It’s by far my
favourite feature, and with the underfloor heating, makes the
house feel so warm and cosy,” says Lucy.
To contrast with the white spaces at the rear the owners
requested a dark and moody master bedroom so Carole swathed
the walls in inky Dulux ‘Biro Blue’. “By introducing an extensive
plane of Venetian plaster – acting like an oversized bedhead –
into the dark room, we lightened the intensity and provided a link
to the rest of the home,” says Carole. The bright ensuite bathroom
with its glass panels beckons through the darkness of the walk-in
robe. “Colour tells an important story here – both in its intensity
and its absence,” says Carole.
The play of light and dark is a theme throughout. “The house
has a path that draws the visitor on a journey of discovery through
the old to the new,” says Carole. “Handled deftly, open living
spaces can still provide that sense of ‘reveal’.”
Owners Lucy and George are delighted with their home’s new
persona. “It feels very well designed but nothing seems too
delicate. There’s a robustness which we appreciate with our two
young children,” says Lucy. #
carolewhiting.com; brayshawarchitects.com.au

151
HOME Melbourne

ROMAN
Transformed into a glamorous
entertainer’s dream, this
Victorian home evokes all the
elegance of an Italian villa.

HOL I DAY

Words CHRIS PE ARSON Photography MARK ROPER

152
 This page Plush velvet Italian armchairs from Nicholas & Alistair with their
elegant profiles make a style statement in the informal living area. Edra
‘Cicladi’ coffee table from Space. Vintage onyx dish from 1stdibs. 1930s
Barovier & Toso six-shade Murano chandelier and 1970s La Murrina chandelier,
both from Nicholas & Alistair. Shearling rug by David Hicks from Cadrys.
Chairs reupholstered in linen and antique oak dining table, all from Graham
Geddes Antiques & Antiquities. Reverie diptych by Agneta Ekholm from
Flinders Lane Gallery. Walls in Dulux ‘Vivid White’. Existing timber floorboards
were re-conditioned and custom stained. Opposite page The elegant facade,
complete with turret, has been faithfully preserved.
HOME Melbourne

This page, clockwise from top left A 1940s Barovier & Toso Rostrato
Murano pendant light from Nicholas & Alistair hangs above the kitchen
island, which is clad in honed Cote D’Azur marble from G-Lux. Tapware
from Zucchetti. Platter from Dinosaur Designs. Joinery in Dulux ‘Vivid
White’ two-pack polyurethane. An archway, mouldings and stained-
glass windows all lend gravitas to the heritage hallway. Vintage Murano
mirror from Peninsula Antiques e Moderno. 1930s Murano pendant light
by Archimede Seguso from Nicholas & Alistair. David Hicks bronze vessel
from David Hicks Editions. Soapstone sculpture by Zimbabwean Shona
carvers from Graham Geddes Antiques & Antiquities. Opposite page The
bold marble on the island adorning both the bench and the cascading
sides is a flamboyant artwork in its own right. Timber joinery on far wall
in Makassar ebony. Oven from Gaggenau.

F
rom dowdy dowager to charming contessa, this
grand four-bedroom home in Melbourne’s south
has enjoyed a miraculous makeover. “We have taken
a Victorian lady, given her a facelift, dressed her in
Italian couture, adorned her with jewels and sent
her on a Roman holiday,” says its interior designer David Hicks.
“Now she is well travelled and glamorous.”
After the owners bought the house in 2002, she did decades of
dutiful service as a functional family home. But, with their two
children grown up, the couple wanted to elevate their cherished
1880s property to something more special. So, in 2020, they
turned to David to make it happen. “They loved the way we
integrate the new with old and that we design with a minimal
palette that is also rich and luxurious. And, keen on mid-century
Italian style, they had seen this, too, in our work,” he says.
What David found behind the castle-like brick facade – complete
with landmark turret – was a world away from that vision. “The
house was dark, with orange timber floors and heavy timber mantel
mirrors. The kitchen was in plain white laminate and the bathrooms
in white gloss tiles,” he says. “Designed when living requirements
were different, the rooms were small, segregated and cramped.”
The solid shell and ornate detailing, such as cornices and ceiling
roses, outweighed those shortcomings. “The substantial walls and
plasterwork make this house so appealing. You can feel the history.”
The practical brief was to open up the spaces and let in the light.
“The clients wanted the house to feel larger and lighter, with »
155
HOME Melbourne

This page The custom mirror from David Hicks Editions neatly reflects the home’s period style and makes the space appear larger than it is.
Antique oak dining table and chairs – reupholstered in white linen – all from Graham Geddes Antiques & Antiquities. 1950s Italian sideboard,
1930s Venini table lamp and 1970s La Murrina chandelier, all from Nicholas & Alistair. Opposite page ln the formal living room at the front
of the house, Edra ‘Essential’ sofa by Francesco Binfaré from Space. 1950s Italian armchair, vintage Italian coffee table and 1930s Venini
‘Reticello’ chandelier, all from Nicholas & Alistair. Walls in Dulux ‘Caps’. Artwork by Dale Frank from Neon Parc. Curtain in Dedar ‘L’âge d’Or’
from South Pacific Fabrics. Custom Nepalese silk rug from Cadrys. Vintage Italian vase on mantel from Peninsula Antiques e Moderno.

156
 Melbourne HOME

“WE STREAMLINED
T H E L AYO U T, W H I L E
R E TA I N I N G T H E E U R O P E A N
ST YLE OF ROOM OPENING
INTO RO O M. THIS KEP T THE
H E R I TA G E F E E L ...”
This page, from top In keeping with the home’s heritage features, David
has eschewed open plan instead enlarging the internal openings for a
better flow where appropriate. Antique oak dining table and chairs from
Graham Geddes Antiques & Antiquities. Artwork by Agneta Ekholm from
Flinders Lane Gallery. Vintage Italian armchair from Nicholas & Alistair.
David Hicks shearling rug from Cadrys. Opposite page The luscious and
sinuous 1930s Italian velvet sofa from Nicholas & Alistair is one of David’s
favourite features in the house. Edra ‘Cicladi’ coffee tables from Space.
Vintage chandelier from Nicholas & Alistair. Rug from Cadrys. Artwork
by Dale Frank from Neon Parc.

« a better connection between the rooms and better flow.” They

also asked David to reconfigure the first floor to provide a larger
main walk-in robe and ensuite, and bigger bedrooms.
Most importantly, they wished to up the style stakes by making
the home more elegant and sophisticated with an after-five aura.
“The clients love entertaining,” says David. “The wife, of Italian
heritage, is passionate about food, design and fashion. They
wanted something luxurious, yet simplified and European in feel,
while also honouring the heritage aspects of the house. So we
streamlined the layout, while retaining the European style of room
opening into room. This kept the heritage feel while opening up
the house and injecting it with a classic sensibility.”
The floor plan for the more formal rooms at the front downstairs
was retained, while in the informal section at the rear, David
removed sections of walls and doors to foster a smoother flow and
let in the light, while keeping within the existing footprint.
Upstairs he shifted walls to create larger bedrooms and bathrooms.
“We simplified the plan, while restoring the heritage details.
To keep the integrity of the house, walls were replaced, where
needed, with brick and hard plaster, cornices matched to existing
detailing, and doors and architraves replicated,” says David. »

159
 SPEED READ
» Having lived in this grand 1880s home in
Melbourne’s south for nearly 20 years, the
owners wanted to give it a brand-new look.
» They engaged interior designer David Hicks
to reconfigure the layout, opening up the house
to create a smoother flow and letting in the
light, while also honouring its heritage. » Lovers
of all things Italian, the couple asked him to
turn a family home, where they had raised two
children, into something more adult, elegant
and sophisticated, and geared to after-five
entertaining. » David combined a rich palette
of materials, such as marble, ebony timbers,
solid plaster, bronze, glass and velvet, to create
the ambience of an Italian villa, while always
honouring the home’s period features.
 Melbourne HOME

This page, from top The glamorous custom bedhead, in Dedar ‘Tabularasa’ from South Pacific Fabrics, elegantly echoes the outline of the mirror downstairs
in the dining room. 1950s wall-mounted bedside tables by Osvaldo Borsani and 1980s Murano wall sconces, all from Nicholas & Alistair. Custom bedcover in
Dedar ‘Tabularasa’ from South Pacific Fabrics. Custom bench upholstered in Rubelli ‘Caterina de’ Medici’ fabric in Nuvola from South Pacific Fabrics. Vintage
Pierre Jeanneret armchair from 1stdibs. Custom viscose carpet by Pro-Spective Installations. Walls in Dulux ‘Caps’. In the main ensuite, wall and floor tiles in
honed Cote D’Azur marble from G-Lux with honed Elba marble wall tiles from Artedomus in the shower. Tonic tapware, Sfera basins and Hydrotherm towel
rail, all from Rogerseller. Joinery in Dulux ‘Vivid White’ two-pack polyurethane. Opposite page ‘Alberto’ fluted knobs from Mother of Pearl & Sons. Vintage
Murano wall sconces from Peninsula Antiques e Moderno.

« New dark timber joinery and a carefully curated palette of

finishes have taken the grande dame to a whole new level, while
also honouring the old house. “We did not want anything to jar,”
says David. With the clients’ leaning for all things Italian, he chose
a rich, natural materials palette on a minimal canvas. “We wanted
the background to be simple yet tactile, so we opted for an off-
white, bone-coloured hard plaster on the walls. Then we used
marble to create a distinct Italian feel, with its beautiful organic
pattern and glamorous feel. Next we layered other sumptuous
materials such as Makassar ebony timber and silk carpet to provide
the feel of an Italian villa.” With their translucent sheen, warm
bronze, crisp chrome, fluted glass and plush velvets also come to
the party with their after-five aura.
David worked closely with the client to select an eclectic array
of elements, from mid-century Italian furniture and lighting to
contemporary items, with some pieces custom made. A special find
was the mint-green vintage Italian sofa in the informal sitting
room, with its sweeping, organic curves and plush texture. “It is so
unusual and unique,” he says. “We wanted the furnishings, textiles,
light fittings and artworks to provide the rich tapestry to the
spaces, like a gallery of curated items. I am so proud of the end
product, which is cultured and sophisticated.”
While borders have reopened, now that their home has had the
villa makeover with striking results, the chances are these lovers of
all things Italian will want to stay put – for a while, at least. #
davidhicks.com

161
 COASTAL
CANVAS Words CHRIS PE ARSON Photography ANSON SMART

In this striking home perched on a hillside on

Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the built environment
and its coastal setting meld seamlessly into one.
162
 Sydney HOME

This page Water vistas take starring roles in almost every space, even hallways such as this which leads to
the main living area. Erik Jørgensen ‘Konami’ sofa and Nau ‘Fat Tulip 88’ armchair, both from Cult. Rug
from Armadillo. Ancestor YKB sculpture by William Versace from Curatorial+Co. Joinery in oak veneer
from Sublime Custom Cabinetry. Turning Tide artwork by Lydia Miller. ‘Garonne’ limestone floor tiles from
Eco Outdoor. Opposite page Kett ‘Addis’ outdoor extension table and ‘Wye’ chairs, all from Cosh Living.
Walls clad in rosewood. ‘Garonne’ tiles around pool from Eco Outdoor. Custom barbecue from BeefEater.
 This page Conrad Johnston has played with geometry to brilliant effect on the facade with the huge picture window to the left and balconies orientated at
intriguing angles. ProGlide ‘UltraFlat’ commercial windows from Central Coast Shopfronts. Walls in sandstone from Gosford Quarries and salvaged sandstone
from the site by Drew Brown Landscapes & Stone. Cobblestone pavers on drive from Eco Outdoor. Opposite page, from top ‘Dita’ stools from Grazia&Co. Timber
veneer joinery from Sublime Custom Cabinetry. Super White Dolomite benchtops from Euro Marble. On rear bench, white resin vase from Dinosaur Designs.
Humble Matter ‘Eagle’ sculpture in white ceramic from Curatorial+Co. ‘Celsius Arc’ gold tap from Zip. ‘Garonne’ limestone flooring from Eco Outdoor. V-ZUG
‘Combair’ pyrolytic 60cm built-in electric oven from Winning Appliances. In the powder room, benchtop in Mint Ice marble from Euro Marble. Yokato tapware in
tumbled organic brass from Brodware. Evolution sculpture by Dion Horstmans. ‘Anton’ mini wall sconce from Volker Haug.
 Sydney HOME

I
n this four-level home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, a vast
picture window frames the sweep of beach below and headland
beyond. The dramatic scene is ever-shifting throughout the day
with the tides and weather, the result a dynamic artwork where
the brushstrokes never dry. It’s part of a gallery of ocean vignettes
that runs through the house, where each window offers a different
perspective on the spectacle, which, paradoxically perhaps, is both
calming and energising at once. In this house of many moods, the
back, by contrast, offers the serene, less mutable, aspect of bushland.
After buying the property in 2000, the owners used the mid-
century weekender on the site as a welcome retreat for them and
their four youngsters. But, as the children began families of their
own, the couple wanted to make this their fulltime home. For that,
the site had to lift its game, so they hired Conrad Johnston of Studio
Johnston to mastermind the build – and navigate a few challenges.
They were clear about what they wanted. “Because they had been
coming to the place for years, they were intimately familiar with
the topography, climate and impact of the seasons,” he says.
The spectacular location brought pluses and minuses. “The site
is beautifully situated at the northern end of the beach, with a view
of sand and surf. We wanted the house to connect with its natural
setting, so that it was deeply embedded in the place,” says Conrad.
But the southern aspect meant harnessing sunlight would be
tricky. “The challenge was to create sunny outdoor areas protected
from the climate where our clients could host up to 25 people and
enjoy views of beach and bush.” The house also had to accommodate
their children and grandchildren for extended stays. »

165
HOME Sydney
« To master the steep, narrow site, Conrad burrowed into the
hillside and connected its four levels internally with an elevator and
externally by stairs. Entry is at the guest level above the garage
where three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a play area bunker in
towards the beach. A cylindrical skylight bathes the stairwell in
daylight. Above, the first floor is a vast platform, with living, dining
(with that picture window) and kitchen extending to a 470 square
metre sheltered, sun-drenched terrace, complete with barbecue,
pool, spa and motorised sunshades. To achieve this, Conrad offset
the top two levels and angled the spaces to maximise sunlight.
The guest level spans the site and forms a podium for the living
areas and main bedroom levels immediately above, which taper in
from the east and extend to the western edge, while also soaking up
views of the beach. This deft sleight of hand brings northern light
into the south-facing living areas while sheltering them from the
wind. The living areas and main bedroom connect visually to both
bush and beach. “The tendency with sites like this is to focus only
on the ocean view,” says Conrad. “We found ways of balancing that
big ocean view with a more restful connection back to the bush.”
With few windows, the steel-clad western facade cocoons rooms
on this side, while the southern and eastern sides are more “porous”,
with walls of glazing. The exterior features robust concrete, metal
cladding and rosewood, which age and patina over time and require
minimal maintenance, even in harsh environments.
The owners specified “timeless and elegant interiors, calming,
low-maintenance spaces with splashes of colour and the occasional
striking stone,” says Studio Johnston director of interiors Stefania
Reynolds. Pale grey Moroccan limestone flooring extends through
the living areas and to the terrace. “By having the one material
throughout, the space feels seamless and larger, and it is also
convenient for grandkids traipsing in sand,” she says. Bathrooms
feature milky-white Dolomite marble, infused with wisps of »
These pages, clockwise from left Pops of colour add interest and another
layer to a predominantly neutral palette that takes its cues from the
ocean and bush setting. Nau ‘Fat Tulip 88’ armchair from Cult. ‘Joy’
armchair from Jardan upholstered in mustard bouclé. Coffee table and
side tables are all custom designs by Studio Johnston made by Sublime
Custom Cabinetry. Ancestor YKB sculpture in blue resin by William
Versace from Curatorial+Co. ‘Agra’ rug from Armadillo. ‘Garonne’
limestone wall tiles from Eco Outdoor. Joinery in oak veneer from Sublime
Custom Cabinetry. Marset ‘Ginger P’ floor lamp from Est Lighting. Items
in the cabinet include a Voltra lamp from Est Lighting and vases from
Dinosaur Designs and Planet. In the dining space, Rolled Together triptych
artwork by Stefania Reynolds. ‘Huxley’ table and ‘Mckenzie’ chairs from
Jardan. ‘Ceto’ pendant light from Ross Gardam. Timber veneer joinery by
Sublime Custom Cabinetry. Erik Jørgensen ‘Konami’ three-seater sofa
from Cult. On the exterior, cladding in rosewood and ProGlide ‘UltraFlat’
commercial windows from Central Coast Shopfronts.

167
HOME Sydney

SPEED READ
» For years, a humble cottage on this site on Sydney’s Northern Beaches served the
owners and their four children well as a welcoming weekender. » But, as the children
grew up and started their own families, the owners wanted to better utilise this
special site as their full-time home. » They asked Conrad Johnston of Studio Johnston
to design them a house to also accommodate extended family, while making the
most of the spectacular south-facing site. The trickiest challenge was maximising
sunlight and minimising exposure to harsh southerlies, which he achieved with some
clever angles and set-backs. » The owners specified calming interiors, where the home
and its coastal setting become one, achieved by generous glazing, carefully curated
materials and furnishings, and an all-encompassing blue-green palette.
 This page, clockwise from top left Handmade Moroccan wall tiles in Mint from Surface Gallery clad the shower walls. ‘Garonne’
limestone tiles from Eco Outdoor. The bushland and sandstone setting offer a private outlook from the main ensuite. StoneKast
‘Pebble’ bath from Just Bathroomware. Solis curtain in Mint from Zepel. Benchtop and walls in Super White marble from Euro
Marble. ‘Yokato’ brass tapware from Brodware. ‘Anton’ sconce from Volker Haug. In the bedroom, ‘Sweeney’ armchair and ‘Bandy’
stool from Jardan. Carpet by Bremworth. Opposite page Bedhead made by Sublime Custom Cabinetry. Linen from Cultiver and
pillows from Jardan and Franka. ‘Roy’ bedside light from VBO Australia and Zetr switch. Eagle sculpture from Curatorial+Co., Voltra
lamp from Est Lighting, artwork by Stefania Reynolds and sculpture by Dion Horstmans. Box from Greg Natale.

« grey – reprised in the kitchen – with soft pistachio green tiling

and aged-brass tapware. A striking mint ice marble that adorns the
powder room, forming a dramatic apron on the vanity, its black
vein creating a sense of movement, is repeated in dining and bedside
built-in joinery. With its warm American oak and brass edging, it
contrasts with the cooler tiled floor and concrete, while aged-brass
fittings complement brass shelves and translucent wall lights.
Watery, blue-green hues in their endless variety bring beach and
bush into the home, reinforcing that indoor-outdoor connection.
The stairwell is painted a soft mint hue, ensuring a cooling calm as
you glide from one floor to the next. Its expansive main wall,
painted kelp green and accented by a fine brass balustrade, anchors
the building. “Green is associated with a sense of calm, optimism,
tranquility and nature,” says Conrad. “Part of the brief was to create
relaxing, calm spaces. This palette, paired with the view and the
sound of the waves, makes being in the space all encompassing.”
Meanwhile, pops of colour appear in artwork and furniture.
“We chose quality furnishings that would be long lasting. The
lines are blurred between aesthetics and function, furniture and
sculpture,” says Stefania. A mustard chair on a blue-green carpet
makes a bold statement against the coastal scene, while a triptych
above the dining table mimics the movement of water in colours
that complement the home. But the most striking artwork is that
view, framed at every opportunity, with the ultimate moment being
the picture window. “No matter where you are in this house, you
are reminded of its location,” says Conrad. # studiojohnston.com.au

169
 These pages Silver birches (Betula pendula ‘Moss White’) have been planted in small groves around the property to provide screening and verticality.
The trees are underplanted with clipped shrubs such as gardenias (Gardenia augusta ‘Florida’), licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare) and the flowering
perennial sage (Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’) together with Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’ grass. The driveway in Endicott ‘Filetti’ stone paving from Eco
Outdoor complements the garage’s zinc standing-seam cladding in Graphite by elZinc.
 GARDEN

his striking anomaly of a standalone terrace in Sydney’s conventional gardens in the area. “Owners Jabbour and Rachel

T inner west – its neighbours never eventuated or were

razed long ago – prompted a beguiling garden just as
unique. In this, Adam McDonald, of Impressions
Landscape Design, has delivered in spades, creating
layered variety and seasonal shifts that surprise at every turn.
When he encountered the property in 2018, it was a building
site, with the grand 19th-century dame enjoying a dramatic
makeover after decades of neglect. Benson McCormack
Architecture was restoring the front to its former glory while
adding a cutting-edge extension on the rear. Adam’s task was to
subtly straddle the two styles by creating a garden that honoured
the old while embracing the modern.
“I was asked to talk to the architecture,” he says. “With walls
of glass at the rear looking out to the garden, inside and out also
had to become one.” It also needed stand apart from the more
wanted something more in the Melbourne style, using tonal
greenery mixed with perennials for a layered effect.”
“We wanted something that changed with the seasons, robust,
organic and even a little wild, informal and not too manicured,”
says Jabbour. The rear had to function as an entertaining area and
a recreational space for five active children so the couple requested
lawn. “For that layering, the perimeter beds needed width,” says
Adam. “It was a constant trade-off between lawn and garden to
produce beds deep enough for me to play with the plantings.”
Adam revived the sandstone on the front porch, and then ran
sandstone steppers through the garden to complement it. A cobbled
driveway, like finger tiles loosely laid in a brick-like pattern,
provides texture and leads to a charcoal zinc-clad garage.
The rear of the house “with its modern industrial vibe” is
strikingly different from the front, with its off-form concrete walls,

PERSONAL best
With a handsome freestanding terrace as its starting point,
this unique garden was destined to stand out from the pack.
Words CHRIS PE ARSON Photography NICHOL A S WAT T

171
 This page The pool hedge, in the fast-growing decorative conifer
Podocarpus henkelii, provides a striking contrast to the flowing
fronds of mat rush (Lomandra longifolia ‘Tanika’). In the pot, a
San Pedro cactus (Echinopsis pachanoi) is underplanted with the
cascading foliage of creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum). Opposite
page, clockwise from top left The street frontage is dominated by
Betula pendula ‘Moss White’ silver birches underplanted with
clipped shrubs, such as gardenias (Gardenia augusta ‘Florida’)
and flowering perennials Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ and sage
(Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’). Masonry piers and fencing use traditional
architectural mouldings, while crushed quartz pebble aggregate
adorns a second driveway to the left of the house. In the back
garden, a grove of silver birches is underplanted with a small crepe
myrtle (Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’) as an accent tree, ‘Dense Fence’
viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) as hedging, Boston ivy
(Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Veitchii’), sage (Salvia ‘Mystic
Spires’) and topiarised licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare). A
sparrow-pecked sandstone blade wall provides informal seating.
On a silvered spotted-gum deck beside the pool, a Dedon Rilly
‘Cocoon’ lounger chair and Rilly footstool from Cosh Living.

“With walls of glass at the rear looking

out to the garden, inside and out also
had to become one.”

172

crisp lines and generous glazing complemented by slick burnished
concrete pavers in an outdoor dining area, while chamfered steps
lead down to hardwood decking beside a moody, dark-tiled pool.
An expanse of lawn abutting the pool is flanked by free-form
concrete steppers in “obscure angular shapes” to loosen up the
garden, while three sandstone blade walls provide impromptu
seating. They are echoed by another higher sandstone wall, the
stones again laid in a random pattern, which encloses a courtyard.
“We have played with geometry, using simple materials to
explore shape, form and texture,” says Adam. “And the muted
tones in the buff sandstone and the grey concrete play off and
complement the architecture without going over the top.” He has
connected front and back by using similar plantings, but with a
looser, less clipped look at the rear. “I have used minimal plants in
the front. While similar to the back, they have been edited to keep
the area simple and refined. The two parts of the garden feel
united because of the uniform palette.” Grouped white moss birch
trees appear front and back, because they are “architectural, tall
and not too wide”. These are underplanted with clipped
helichrysum and gardenias, which create a more formal look – a
nod to the prim Victorian architecture – while dwarf perennial
grasses (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’) loosen things up, lending
texture and movement when shimmied by the breeze. Salvia
‘Mystic Spires”, sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and lilium ‘Forza Red’,
embracing the blue-to-red spectrum, provide perennial colour,
“verticality and a woodland vibe”. As well as the lawn, ground
GARDEN
cover such as kidney weed (Dichondra repens) and baby’s tears
(Soleirolia soleirolii) gives these outdoor rooms a dense carpet
underfoot.
Behind the pool, Adam has planted a lime-green screen of
yellowwood (Podocarpus henkelii) while crepe myrtles
(Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’) provide a shady canopy above the lawn
and the three sandstone benches. Instead of hedging, trees such
as the grouped crepe myrtles, pencil pines (Cupressus sempervirens
‘Glauca’) and yellowwood, all fast-growing, preserve privacy. “I
used variety to avoid the screening becoming one-dimensional,”
he says. Meanwhile, the aspect beyond the office boasts a solo
Japanese maple and concrete steppers planted out with white star
creeper (Pratia pedunculata) ground cover. Framed by a wall of
Vitrocsa windows, “it’s like an artwork”, says Adam, especially
with the backdrop of a hand-chiselled sandstone wall.
While the garden is largely tonal and textured, because of
the deciduous trees and perennials, it’s always in a captivating
state of transition. “White crepe myrtles flower in summer and
the sedum produces pink-to-copper flowers in autumn, when
the perennial grasses are also in flower, so there’s an evolution
throughout the year,” he says.
“I love the way the garden changes with the seasons,” says
Jabbour. “We start each morning sipping coffee on one of the
sandstone benches, so we are part of the landscape throughout
the day – and the year. Adam really nailed our brief for
something refreshingly different.” impressionslandscape.com.au
GARDEN

This page, clockwise from top left A sandstone bench seat, with the flowering perennial giant hyssop (Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’) behind, sits together with pencil
pines (Cupressus glauca), while kidney weed (Dichondra repens) provides ground cover. A grove of silver birches (Betula pendula ‘Moss White’) overlooks the rear
lawn, while crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’) forms a small accent tree underplanted with ‘Dense Fence’ viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) hedging,
gardenias (Gardenia augusta ‘Florida’), giant hyssop (Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’), sage (Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’), topiarised licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare)
and miscanthus grass (Miscanthus ‘Adagio’). Patio in burnished concrete. Steel-beam pergola painted in Dulux ‘Flat Black’. Burnished concrete paving, steps and
steppers, together with a sparrow-pecked sandstone bench seat, bring sculptural shapes and texture to the rear garden. A crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia ‘Natchez’)
and a pencil pine (Cupressus sempervirens ‘Glauca’) serve as accent trees, while Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Veitchii’) softens the sandstone wall on
the boundary. These are underplanted with bushes such as Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica ‘Oriental Pearl’) and common thyme (Thymus vulgaris), together
with flowering perennials Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ and giant hyssop (Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’), mat rush (Lomandra longifolia ‘Tanika’) and kidney weed (Dichondra
repens) as ground cover. A Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) glows in the internal courtyard to the right.

174
 B E L L E P R OM O T ION

BUYERS’ MARKET
When it comes to updating your home and lifestyle, only the best will do
– so here’s a round-up of the latest and greatest products out there.

1 2 3

4 5 6
Prices shown are based on the average size in basic fabrics, finishes and standard operation. In this case, a 1510 x 1810 sized blind.

7 8 9

1 GREAT DANE For over 50 years Møller’s craftspeople have skilfully woven each papercord seat and bench with a single piece of cord. Exclusive to
Great Dane, the ‘#63’ bench is perfect at the end of the bed, in the hallway or as a centrepiece in the lounge room. RRP $2750. greatdanefurniture.
com 2 ARMAC MARTIN Crafted in Birmingham by artisans, the Digbeth collection of handles and pulls features hand-finished linear ridged details,
yielding a distinctive look and feel just made for modern luxury living. RRP $606 (160mm shown). armacmartin.co.uk 3 ILVE Whether you want to
steam, bake or microwave, Ilve’s latest three-in-one oven does it all with electronic controls allowing an array of functions for perfect cooking every
time. ilve.com.au 4 LUXAFLEX Luxaflex® Pirouette® Shadings put light control at your fingertips with softly contoured, three-dimensional fabric vanes
filtering sunlight and providing privacy to your home. Visit your local showroom for more information. RRP $2625.. luxaflex.com.au 5 PGH BRICKS
Comfort comes in many forms: warm in winter, cool in summer and reduced energy costs for the life of your home, choose Bradford Insulation and
experience for total home comfort. pghbricks.com.au 6 IITTALA The Teema collection showcases multifunctional, high-quality and timeless pieces
that last for generations. The iconic ‘Teema’ 300ml mug now comes in charming Vintage Blue. The translucent feel of the shade makes it especially
inviting. Mix the blue with white and brown pieces to create a new look. RRP $24.95. iittala.com.au 7 HARVEY NORMAN Boasting 79L worth of space
in main multi-function ovens, glide-out separate grill and warming drawer, the Falcon ‘Elise 110’ cooker will add European flair to every kitchen.
harveynorman.com.au 8 VOLA Designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1968, the Vola ‘HV1’ one-handle mixer features a fixed spout with a water-saving aerator
and comes in an array of colours and finishes. RRP $1424. vola.com 9 CONTENTS ID The ‘Cos’ bar in Ebony is one of the most advanced bar cabinets
on the market. It has the perfect mix of function and style that will help you channel your inner mixologist. RRP $6095. contentsid.com.au
±
 88 PENSHURST ST WILLOUGHBY NSW

LE FOR GE _ F UR NI TUR E _ SYD NEY

0468 759 200

WW W. LE FOR GE .COM . AU

AUSTRA LIA WI DE DE LIVE RY

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TO ADVERTISE CALL 0405 745 129

 LUXE Edit
H O M ES, I N T ER I O R S, D E S I G N & A RT

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5/10-12 BRIGANTINE STREET

BYRON BAY NSW • 0426 843 137
LUMINICOLLECTIONS .COM

Cava Collection Gilbert.

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8 Australia St, Camperdown NSW 2050 tel 02 9698 1112
info@savifurniture.com.au www.savifurniture.com.au www.laurakincade.com

AM 20088/22
Murdie Nampijinpa Morris
Malikijarra Jukurrpa
(Two Dogs Dreaming) 2013
Acrylic on Belgian linen
91 x 182cm

www.homestolove.com.au/directory
THE OFFICE
Moon phase
Creating a bespoke workspace saw a chance to explore
other creative passions for a jewellery designer and a
tailor whose atelier now doubles as a design gallery.
Photography JEM CRESSWELL
HOW DID THE CONCEPT FOR FINEWORKS PADDINGTON COME ABOUT?
Joe Ha, bespoke tailor and founder of The Finery Company: My wife
Jeanne and I stumbled on this beautiful corner terrace in Sydney’s
Paddington in late 2019 and fell in love with it. We renovated
the building and moved our businesses, The Finery Company
and Jeanne Kang Fine Jewellery, into the premises. We built the
ground-level concept showroom for multiple functions such as
small events and exhibitions as well as lifestyle retail. It is all
about unique and beautiful art and design we both adore and are
passionate about: mid-century furniture, jewellery, decorative
art, vintage watches, fine teas, bonsai, pottery, et cetera. We have
now rebranded as Fineworks Paddington. HOW WOULD YOU
DESCRIBE YOUR WORK SPACE? We work in separate spaces upstairs
when not in the showroom. It is nice and quiet above street level,
and a balcony and windows look out to the beautiful Paddington
and Elizabeth Street crossing. Downstairs we host vintage watch
and tea events, and are planning furniture exhibitions. We want
to be able to move things around easily and convert one set-up
into another. Without all the pieces it’s like a blank canvas. WHAT
178
JEANNE KANG OF
JEANNE KANG FINE
JEWELLERY AND JOE
HA OF THE FINERY
COMPANY IN JOE’S
WORKSPACE WITH
AN ARTWORK BY
SHANE BOWDEN.
INITIALLY APPEALED ABOUT YOUR SPACE? The balcony and windows
with street views. We raised the ceiling and changed the wall
finish to create a unique, beautiful environment. HOW WOULD YOU
DESCRIBE THE COMPLETED SPACE? It creates a private ambience and
offers interest. I am especially fond of the Kim Woochang moon
jar as it seems to complete the look. WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THE
SPACE? We do consultations, fittings and designing of clothes
here so it is very functional yet aesthetically pleasing. WHAT ARE
YOUR WORKSPACE ESSENTIALS? A perfect desk-to-chair relationship
in terms of size, shape and aesthetic harmony. WHO HAVE BEEN
YOUR CREATIVE INFLUENCES? Many of the people who designed the
pieces in our showroom, particularly Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO? A bonsai event and
an exhibition of moon jars. We work with the artist in terms of
the style, sizes, colours and number of moon jars, then curate
the space around them. It’s exciting for us because we’re sharing
our passion and as we already have established businesses we are
able to run this more casually and creatively. thefinerycompany.
com.au; jeannekang.com; fineworkspaddington.com.au