Patterned seagrass wallpaper was combined with muted green paint and reeded glass wall lights in this restful downstairs cloakroom

Welcoming powder room with floating sink cabinetry.

You enter the property from the high side through a contemporary iron gate to access a large double garage with internal access. A natural stone blade leads to our signature, individually designed timber entry door. The top-floor entry flows into a spacious open-plan living, dining, kitchen area drenched in natural light and ample glazing captures the breathtaking views over middle harbour. The open-plan living area features a high curved ceiling which exaggerates the space and creates a unique and striking frame to the vista. With stone that cascades to the floor, the island bench is a dramatic focal point of the kitchen. Designed for entertaining and positioned to capture the vista. Custom designed dark timber joinery brings out the warmth in the stone bench. Also on this level, a dramatic powder room with a teal and navy blue colour palette, a butler’s pantry, a modernized formal dining space, a large outdoor balcony, a cozy sitting nook with custom joinery specifically designed to house the client’s vinyl record player. This split-level home cascades down the site following the contours of the land. As we step down from the living area, the internal staircase with double heigh ceilings, pendant lighting and timber slats which create an impressive backdrop for the dining area. On the next level, we come to a home office/entertainment room. Double height ceilings and exotic wallpaper make this space intensely more interesting than your average home office! Floor-to-ceiling glazing captures an outdoor tropical oasis, adding to the wow factor. The following floor includes guest bedrooms with ensuites, a laundry and the master bedroom with a generous balcony and an ensuite that presents a large bath beside a picture window allowing you to capture the westerly sunset views from the tub. The ground floor to this split-level home features a rumpus room which flows out onto the rear garden.

Powder room

After the second fallout of the Delta Variant amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic in mid 2021, our team working from home, and our client in quarantine, SDA Architects conceived Japandi Home. The initial brief for the renovation of this pool house was for its interior to have an "immediate sense of serenity" that roused the feeling of being peaceful. Influenced by loneliness and angst during quarantine, SDA Architects explored themes of escapism and empathy which led to a “Japandi” style concept design – the nexus between “Scandinavian functionality” and “Japanese rustic minimalism” to invoke feelings of “art, nature and simplicity.” This merging of styles forms the perfect amalgamation of both function and form, centred on clean lines, bright spaces and light colours. Grounded by its emotional weight, poetic lyricism, and relaxed atmosphere; Japandi Home aesthetics focus on simplicity, natural elements, and comfort; minimalism that is both aesthetically pleasing yet highly functional. Japandi Home places special emphasis on sustainability through use of raw furnishings and a rejection of the one-time-use culture we have embraced for numerous decades. A plethora of natural materials, muted colours, clean lines and minimal, yet-well-curated furnishings have been employed to showcase beautiful craftsmanship – quality handmade pieces over quantitative throwaway items. A neutral colour palette compliments the soft and hard furnishings within, allowing the timeless pieces to breath and speak for themselves. These calming, tranquil and peaceful colours have been chosen so when accent colours are incorporated, they are done so in a meaningful yet subtle way. Japandi home isn’t sparse – it’s intentional. The integrated storage throughout – from the kitchen, to dining buffet, linen cupboard, window seat, entertainment unit, bed ensemble and walk-in wardrobe are key to reducing clutter and maintaining the zen-like sense of calm created by these clean lines and open spaces. The Scandinavian concept of “hygge” refers to the idea that ones home is your cosy sanctuary. Similarly, this ideology has been fused with the Japanese notion of “wabi-sabi”; the idea that there is beauty in imperfection. Hence, the marriage of these design styles is both founded on minimalism and comfort; easy-going yet sophisticated. Conversely, whilst Japanese styles can be considered “sleek” and Scandinavian, “rustic”, the richness of the Japanese neutral colour palette aids in preventing the stark, crisp palette of Scandinavian styles from feeling cold and clinical. Japandi Home’s introspective essence can ultimately be considered quite timely for the pandemic and was the quintessential lockdown project our team needed.

This plaster pink cloakroom was previously a dusty broom cupboard. We kept part of the wall unplastered to add interest and recall the history of the room.

These homeowners had a relatively small space and a large wish list. This family of 5 needed some form of mudroom area, while still maintaining the laudry area. Relocationg the washer and dryer from under the window allowed me to give them folding space, a laundry sink, and the boot bench area for all of their coats and backpacks. Their is even a hanging space for clothes to drip dry or get hung before putting away. The powder room was also tiny. We knew we wanted to find something dramatic that worked with the office area that is immediately adjacent to it. That room is painted to most beatiful shade of blue. When we found this Farrow and Ball Lotus wallpaper, we knew we had the perfect starting point.

The powder room received a full makeover with all finishings replace to create a warm and peaceful feeling.