Inspired by the homeowners’ passion for art collection and their distinct, refined taste, an impactful renovation creates a compelling sequence of spaces centred on the practical needs of the family and their penchant for entertaining. The clients’ extensive and wide-ranging collection of contemporary art informs a whimsical yet sophisticated approach through a series of gestures that reflect sensitivity to original elements in the home while transforming spaces through introduction of dramatic forms and application of honest, natural materials. This approach begins with a sculptural staircase whose lively curves animate the light-filled, two storey atrium at the centre of the home and incorporates intimate, atmospheric moments in the formal dining room and powder room along a gallery corridor before landing with a sense of arrival in the kitchen with arresting views to the lushly forested backyard.

The kitchen is the centrepiece of the home’s transformation. Within a tightly choreographed arrangement of functional workflows that serve the family on a daily basis, a restrained, natural material palette is layered and treated to create variations in light and shadow across the gently folded, carved, and naturally patinaed surfaces. The subtle, warm tones of travertine and light wood offer a tranquility offset by an ornately articulated vaulted ceiling lined with skylights that flood the space in dappled sunlight.

The renovation collectively weaves together a series of spaces that each speak to the clients’ bold and elegant vision. Minimal details belie their exquisite craftmanship to foreground expressive objects of art, sculptural furniture, and decorative lighting even down to unexpected tactile details such as bright, royal blue door hardware. A holistic approach rooted in this playful, whimsical juxtaposition is a clear representation of the clients’ personalities, and appreciated both within their habitual domestic routines and at the forefront of the guest entertainment experience.