Situated just a stone’s throw from Sydney’s idyllic Balmoral Beach, Raglan Street is everything a home should be – tranquil, comfortable and, perhaps most importantly, well resolved.
Our clients approached us with a brief to create a mid-century inspired, Palm Springs-influenced home that paid homage to their love (aka obsession!) of all things bamboo. With only a section of the lower ground floor of the original house to remain, it was a unique opportunity to build their dream home, quite literally from the ground up.
Tasked with creating a beachside abode befitting a young family, each space required finding the perfect balance between style and practicality in pursuit of achieving the harmonious holy grail between ‘the luxe’ and ‘the everyday.’
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the heart of the home, where the open-plan kitchen, dining and living area needed to be at once an entertaining space as well as the helm for juggling family life. To achieve these opposing requirements, we created a careful dialogue between the grandeur of the space and the practical needs of our clients.
Take the kitchen breakfast nook for instance – the curved form of the custom banquette seat is irrefutably stylish, whilst it’s shape seamlessly embraces the family way of living and works harder still by hiding convenient storage underneath. The finished space is an area that frames meal times, all the while keeping the cook company; it nurtures afternoon naps as well as aperitivo; and it provides focus for homework sessions and formal dinner parties alike.
‘I start my day having a cup of tea at the nook before anyone else is up. It has the most gorgeous aspect first thing in the morning. [In the afternoon] my youngest child does her homework at the table, and then books and pencils are cleared away for dinner. It's such a comfortable and inviting spot it’s not uncommon for someone to get horizontal and have a little kip in the sun on this lovely banquette.’
To counteract the sprawling ground floor, which might easily have felt cold and cavernous, we introduced moments of bold colour to create a sense of intimacy and play with scale. Despite this occasional vibrancy, the home maintains a sense of calm and elegance owing largely to its cohesive, monochromatic palette that ties seamlessly into the architecture of the home, making for an easy-on-the-eye backdrop to everyday life.
Calm within the home is the ultimate destination for a young family, and the custom-made screen – designed to evoke the rhythm of lush bamboo forests – fosters the journey to getting there. Defining the different zones in the open-plan space, the screen creates the feeling of privacy, whilst ensuring adults in the kitchen are always within earshot of young ones playing in the adjacent informal living room.
For added dimension, the home has plentiful opportunities for moments of escape, solace and privacy. Drapes can be drawn in the dining room to accommodate late-night soirées; doors close on pantries to hide dirty dishes from sight; French windows pull open to chase the last of the sun into the outdoor kitchen.
Upstairs, the master suite was designed to provide a luxurious retreat from the commotion of family life playing out below. Plush carpet, rich velvet fabrics and brass finishes set a nurturing mood for the adults to unwind and recharge.
The result is a beautiful, bespoke residence that is both playful and contemplative; a home that feels luxurious whilst at its core, will forever be adept at accommodating its family’s ever-changing needs and lifestyle.
All images via ©Alexandra Kidd Design
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