Architecture & Interiors

This home’s joyful street character needed an internal world to match, with easy comfort, improved connectivity and flexibility for the family within.

We embraced its ornamental Spanish features – arches joined by barley-twist column, terracotta, stucco, curves, fortress-like proportions – to apply an equally handcrafted quality indoors.

Clay and ochre tones cast an idyllic glow, playing off the dirty pink hue of the original house, with speckled terrazzo, timber, terracotta and rosy travertine throughout. Anchored in natural earthy hues, this palette holds the client’s existing art warmly.

Every element has been considered as a fun sensory opportunity, from custom timber handles to the richness of handmade finishes.
Artfully concealing appliances and storage in the kitchen, powder pink cabinets are punctuated by expertly shaped, sliced and splayed timber, forming irresistibly grabbable handles that feel like “kisses from the house”.

This playful touchpoint is continued through a layer of walnut beneath the terrazzo benchtop, providing unexpected warmth. Bathroom joinery distinguishes itself by inverting this pairing, with timber veneer door panels and pink powder-coated handles in the same unique shape. The fan-like application of interior render emulates external curves in arches and rooftiles, with rhythmic trowel movements leaving a gorgeously artisanal mark on the dining wall, set into a timber-lined alcove. Underfoot, terracotta tiles evoking Spain’s vibrant plazas are studded with hand-cut travertine.

Despite adding only 5 square metres of extra floor area, the new space enjoys an expansive, cathedral-like height, accentuated by timber beams overhead. This exaggerated volume establishes a sense of grandeur while maintaining an intimate scale in the kitchen, living and dining.

Huge, high arch-framed windows and generous double-glazed doors allow constant natural light, cross-ventilation and outdoor connection. A significant existing tree was preserved and celebrated inside, through generous windows and kitchen mirrors doubling its presence.

The new backyard was also completely redesigned as part of the project, with a thoughtfully composed range of sitting areas in dialogue with internal spaces. These act as overflow during social gatherings, as well as solo nooks for retreat.