CLOUD NINE - [South Yarra]

HARNESSING GOLDEN and earthern tones to enrich and ground the light-filled space of this penthouse, designer Brahman Perera worked alongside developer Fortis.

Bruce Henderson Architects and interior architect Ewert Leaf to conjure an exemplary apartment which revels in a 180-degree panorama of the South Yarra skyline. How did you come to choose this site? Avalon Nethery, associate director of developer Fortis: We immediately loved this address.

It’s a little enclave of peace and intrigue. The corner site has a beautiful multifaceted outlook, and we knew we could create something special here. We love that you can come off the busy main streets, through a gorgeous little residential laneway and end up  in this penthouse where it feels you’re floating in the centre of it all but also privately tucked away. How did you become involved with this project? Brahman Perera: I was brought on by the Fortis design team who asked me to partner with them on the penthouse apartment.

We quickly found a mutual appreciation for each other's work and approach to design and development. What were the challenges of the space and how did you resolve them? BP: The challenge usually faced with any new construction is how to create a sense of lived-in intimacy without it actually having been occupied. For comfort, we made the 'Nebula Nine' sofa a hero as it has an innate sense of languishing, pillowy glory.