Soft centre
Belle Magazine Australia|May 2023
An intriguing dialogue is at play in this Sydney home between the Brutalist bent of its concrete and steel architecture and the delicate softness of its interior design.
JUDY PASCOE
Soft centre

It’s not often an interior designer has a second chance to completely re-imagine a home. But that opportunity presented itself recently to Anna Trefely of Esoteriko when her clients bought a Sydney eastern suburbs house that she had worked on for the previous owners. Built in 2020 to a design by Matthew Woodward Architecture, the five-level concrete and steel house occupies a steep slope that had previously been partly inaccessible. With a wonderfully open aspect the home has bedrooms on the top level, living spaces in the middle and soaring full-height windows that allow close engagement with the treetops and skyline.

Keen entertainers, the new owners were especially attracted by the home’s many generous spaces for hosting dinners and parties, as well as the self-contained studio that could function as a retreat for their teenage children.

As she had worked on the home only two years earlier, Anna was well acquainted with all its nooks and crannies. “It was an intriguing opportunity to rethink familiar spaces in a new context, considering the different tastes and preferences of the new occupants,” she says. The clients had moved from a light, bright terrace, “with a Hamptons flavour”, so the home’s robust Brutalist look was a completely new aesthetic for them. “Initially they approached the concrete shell with a degree of trepidation,” says Anna. “Though they appreciated what we had done for the initial design, they wanted to make the home theirs and it needed some tweaks to reflect their style.

This story is from the May 2023 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.

This story is from the May 2023 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.

MORE STORIES FROM BELLE MAGAZINE AUSTRALIAView All
Double handling
Belle Magazine Australia

Double handling

Leading architectural hardware designer Bankston has collaborated with New York's Civilian on a new range of door handles and levers.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
Coastal COOL
Belle Magazine Australia

Coastal COOL

A Hamptons-inspired weekender on the Mornington Peninsula is remodelled for three generations of one family.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
CLOUD STREET
Belle Magazine Australia

CLOUD STREET

A sophisticated design with exquisite detailing elevates a top-floor penthouse into a world-class home for a returning local family.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
Future proof
Belle Magazine Australia

Future proof

Crafting a beach house that could eventually become a permanent residence meant walking a fine line between relaxed and sophisticated.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
Going with the ith flow
Belle Magazine Australia

Going with the ith flow

Two melds enticingly into one when an inner-city terrace tones up for contemporary living.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
CHEF'S kiss
Belle Magazine Australia

CHEF'S kiss

Entertaining by a smart renovation for a family of foodies on a grand scale was made possible

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
MAISON D'ART
Belle Magazine Australia

MAISON D'ART

Step into the captivating world of French gallerist Amélie du Chalard, for whom life, art and history are in perfect harmony.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
ERA DEFYING
Belle Magazine Australia

ERA DEFYING

An interwar bungalow moves boldly into the 21st century while also celebrating its fabulous past.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
PALM CANDY
Belle Magazine Australia

PALM CANDY

Pink tones cap off a romantic mix of Spanish and Moroccan styles at a designer's weekend retreat.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025
HOUSE ROYAL
Belle Magazine Australia

HOUSE ROYAL

A pair of scented leather gloves sent to King George III marks the birth of one of the world's most enduring fragrance houses.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2024 - January 2025