How to do justice to an incredible site overlooking Killcare Beach and Bouddi National Park? Design an equally spectacular home.
Drawing on the location and design of the new house by Square Design, Decus Interiors have created a special interior scheme more than worthy of the home’s prized position.
The brief was for a home suitable for regular entertaining, adopting a textured yet practical style referencing the clients’ love of travel.
Initially brought in to curate the decoration only, Decus were eventually engaged to imagine the entire interior fit out, including floor and wall finishes, hardware, and window treatments.
The resulting home contains free-flowing spaces, each with their own distinct aesthetic facilitated by textured materials and vibrant art.
‘We took references directly from our clients’ love for travel – each year venturing to the Italian Alps – as well as their love for France,’ says Alexandra Donohoe Church, founder and managing director at Decus Interiors. ‘While it technically is a beach house, we wanted to make it as un-beachy as possible.’
The use of rich, layered materials not only plays into this aesthetic, but provides more of a lived-in feel not always found in new builds. ‘It was important for our clients to feel like their home had been there for years, rather than feeling overly new or polished’ says Alexandra.
These materials range from contemporary finishes like polished concrete and stacked stone, to steel framed windows, bronze mesh joinery, and reclaimed timber flooring and bathroom tiles.
‘At the time of this build we experimented a lot with stone, in particular the Concordia stone from Artedomus in the kitchen, and this enabled us to create a unique space for each room,’ says Alexandra. ‘We also worked with textured wall coverings, such as the deep blue Phillip Jeffries hemp wallpaper.’
In contrast to the materiality, the colour palette, furniture, and soft furnishings directly respond to the home’s vistas of Bouddi National Park and the coast beyond.
‘As a studio, we love experimenting with opposing elements for a sense of polarity,’ says Alexandra of this juxtaposition. ‘There’s something intangible but powerful about injecting a little tension and the unexpected into every design.’
What takes this home to the next level is the addition of unexpected moments throughout, including a wine cellar hidden behind an invisible joinery panel, and en suite entrance concealed within the library joinery.
