Sweeping views of the city
With her children no longer living at home, it came time for the client to downsize, live more centrally and immerse herself into a dream project. When I first met the client, the house design was underway and she was ready to work on the interior.
Due to size constraints in the main living area, the client’s intention was to incorporate the dining table and bar stool area within the kitchen island. With entertainment and convenience in mind, the fridge was positioned closer to the deck and dining table. To allow for extra space and traffic flow, especially when dining chairs are in use, the dining table was pushed 300mm into the living area. By placing the barstools at the other end of the island, the two seating areas don’t compete with each other or overcomplicate the kitchen visually – while having the best view from the home. Where possible we integrated appliances to give a clean and minimal feel, minimise cluttered lines and not overwhelm the size of the room.
The client wanted the interior of the home to be in line with the industrial and modernist style of the exterior, which is solid concrete tilt panels in varying textures. The client wanted a contemporary home in a minimal and masculine palette, so we limited materials and colour palettes, and shunned black, opting for charcoals to tone with the concrete exposed interior walls.
For the overall feel, we leant towards staying true to the architecture of the home, using raw materials, textured surfaces, simple silhouettes, geometric shapes and forms, and repetitive patterns – all hallmarks of Brutalist Interior Design. Timber floors were used to add an element of warmth and give a softness to the hard surfaces.
A colourful, heavily textured floral artwork formed some of the key interior decisions. This became the opposing but complementary force, where masculine and feminine principles came into play by bringing in bursts of colour. The artwork helped create an elegance to all the robustness.
We followed the same light concept throughout the home using the organic-shaped feature lights in varying colours and sizes. Floaty mesh curtaining was incorporated to add texture and to filter the north all-day sunlight. Limited and considered objects take centre stage on the glass shelves to add cohesiveness to the overall effect.
The industrial glass box staircase was warmed up with timber detailing and a tulle-like stainless steel mesh pendant for honesty to the project but to add the softness and femininity back into the ‘blocky’ architecture.
