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.
This story is from the April 2020 edition of Belle Magazine Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2020 edition of Belle Magazine Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Highly prized
A move into a light-dappled Victorian Italianate building with purposebuilt interiors allowed Criteria and sister company C.Gallery to showcase atelier-based furniture, lighting, objects and art in a unique design gallery.
The gold and the beautiful
An interior designer daringly pushes the boundaries in her own home in Sydney's eastern suburbs - with glittering results.
Poetic aesthetic
There's rhyme and reason in the artful assemblage of European antiques and decorative objets in this gently refreshed Sydney home.
STATE OF MIND
ON NEW YORK’S UPPER EAST SIDE Melbourne-based designer Tali Roth has crafted an apartment that is both classy and comfortable, where modernist icons and contemporary finds sit side-by-side.
PLUM JOB
REWORKING THE COMPLEX BURROWS of an inner-city terrace has resulted in an expansive home for two, with rich hues and pared-back furnishings, all imbued with meaningful custom finishes.
ABSTRACT IMPRESSIONS
SERVING AS A GALLERY for the owners' growing art collection, this opulent yet tricky-shaped apartment in Sydney's eastern suburbs emulates the eclecticism of New York's jewel box apartments.
SMART SPACES
An alchemical mix of luxury furnishings fused with superior surfaces has transformed and elevated these properties.
House PROUD
In a collaboration between Belle and Fanuli, three leading interior designers transform the most intimate rooms of a home into chic sanctuaries.
MUSE WORTHY
The interiors of the Sydney home of arts advisor and advocate Kym Elphinstone are a fitting tribute to her passion for Australian artists and creators.
ENJOY YOUR STAY
Forget the journey, for the Lancemore Hotel Group, it's all about the destination and showcasing high-end Australian design.