ART AND SOUL

A collection of stellar Australian art is the linchpin of this house which embodies sophisticated curation and a relaxed approach to family living.

- Judy Pascoe

Just four photographs provided the starting point for the design of this expansive coastal property that is home to a large family. With a heritage listing, the requirement was to upgrade the original house and add a contemporary wing. Presented with the photos – of a staircase, some flooring, living room joinery and an open-plan kitchen – Alexandra Donohoe Church, principal of Sydney-based Decus Interiors, remarkably was able to ascertain the owners’ tastes, and her initial concepts for key areas were accepted with enthusiasm.

On a generously sized corner block with glimpses of water across a golf fairway, the house had vast potential to be a significant and substantial family home. Once the heritage requirements were determined, the new extension was built to include open-plan living, dining and kitchen, with a terrace and pool cabana set into Myles Baldwin-landscaped grounds, and five bedrooms, a rumpus room and study upstairs.

Decus Interiors sorted out the floor plan, allocating the downstairs heritage part of the house to a master suite, incorporating a bedroom, walk-in robe, ensuite and study, accessed through its own foyer. The open-plan living extension presented a few challenges with its very large footprint. “This took a few iterations to get right,” says Alexandra. “We wanted to create pockets of depth and compression before expanding out again.” This she was able to do by tucking in the formal dining to the right of the main entry, which then leads into the open-plan kitchen and butler’s pantry and on to the informal living room that connects with the outdoors.