They say the magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave and even better to come back and that is exactly what this family wanted to create when they purchased their Bondi home and prepared to renovate. Like Marilyn Monroe, this 1920’s Californian-style bungalow was born with the bone structure to be a great beauty. From the outset, it was important the design reflect their personal journey as individuals along with celebrating their journey as a family. Using a limited colour palette of white walls and black floors, a minimalist canvas was created to tell their story. Sentimental accents captured from holiday photographs, cherished books, artwork and various pieces collected over the years from their travels added the layers and dimension to the home. Architrave sides in the hallway and cutout reveals were painted in high-gloss black adding contrast and depth to the space. Bathroom renovations followed the black a white theme incorporating black marble with white vein accents and exotic greenery was used throughout the home – both inside and out, adding a lushness reminiscent of time spent in the tropics. Like this family, this home has grown with a 3rd stage now in production - watch this space for more... Martine Payne & Deen Hameed

The piece de resistance of the master bath just might be the over sized freestanding tub. Its generous proportions fit right in with the scale of the space, and whether bathing small children or taking a relaxing soak, it is the place to be. An original artwork by friend and artist Ann Carrington adorns the wall above the tub. Constructed of buttons sewn onto black velvet, the piece is from her Pearly Queens series. The shimmering opalescent buttons catch light from the window, adding a sense of pure luxury to this corner of the room. Beyond the tub is an antique brass candelabra that Cortney has repurposed into a rack for her necklace collection. Bath tub: Boffi Photo: Adrienne DeRosa Photography © 2014 Houzz Design: Cortney and Robert Novogratz

Peter A. Sellar / www.photoklik.com

The combination of architectural charcoal tiles, classical white marble and rich timbers amplifies the beauty of this bathroom and affirms its classic approach to design.

Dan Cutrona Photography

Stephani Buchman

Peter Landers Photography

Marek Sikora

Adelina Iliev

Photographer: Nicholas Watt