We’re delighted to share that three rooms from Marylou Sobel Interior Design’s Still House project have been selected by the editors of Australian Home Beautiful for the magazine’s annual 100 Beautiful Rooms feature.
The powder room, garden sitting room and children’s bedroom appear in the final instalment of the 2026 series – a celebration of inspiring Australian interiors chosen for their distinctive character, beauty and ideas worth returning to.
For Marylou, the recognition is especially meaningful because the three spaces represent different aspects of the same carefully considered family home: a grand Tudor residence on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, reimagined over 18 months to retain its historic presence while embracing the warmth and ease of contemporary life.
A home in layers
Still House was a project of thoughtful balance. Its traditional architecture – leadlight windows, detailed timber panelling, fireplaces and formal proportions – called for respect, while the family needed every room to feel welcoming, functional and entirely their own.
“The great joy of this project was honouring the home’s beautiful bones while making it feel relaxed, personal and genuinely liveable for a modern family,” says Marylou. “Every room needed to have its own identity, while still feeling part of a cohesive whole.”
Across three levels, formal rooms are softened for connection and entertaining, while more relaxed spaces support the daily rhythms of family life. Custom joinery, layered finishes, collected furnishings and a considered relationship with the garden give the home its quietly expressive character.
The powder room
Small rooms can carry enormous personality – and the Still House powder room was designed to do exactly that.
“I often think of powder rooms as jewel boxes,” says Marylou. “They are an opportunity to be a little bolder, more decorative and more playful. Even though the room is compact, it can create a real moment of surprise.”
For this Sydney space, Marylou selected Anna French’s Sussex Hydrangea wallpaper and a Blush Quartz vanity top, creating a richly layered composition with what she describes as “the wow factor.”
The garden sitting room
Positioned to enjoy established garden views, the sitting room was conceived as a gentle bridge between the home’s more formal interiors and the landscape beyond.
“The outlook was so beautiful that I wanted greenery to become part of the room itself,” says Marylou. “It was about extending that sense of the garden indoors, so the space feels restorative and connected to the seasons.”
Botanical notes in the cushions and rug reinforce the relationship with nature, while a rattan armchair, custom modular seating and ottoman create a relaxed place to pause, read or sit with family and friends.
A room for dreaming
The children’s bedroom is a softly imaginative haven for two young sisters, layered with lace curtains, whimsical wallpaper and a palette of blush, butter yellow and warm cream.
“Children’s rooms should feel special — like their own little world — but they should also have enough longevity to grow with them,” says Marylou. “Here, we wanted to create a sense of softness and wonder, without making the room feel overly precious.”
Home Beautiful described the space as “comforting and full of quiet wonder,” a sentiment that beautifully captures its gentle, storybook quality.
A meaningful acknowledgement
To have three rooms from one project selected for Australian Home Beautiful’s 100 Beautiful Rooms is a wonderful acknowledgement of the vision shared by Marylou, her studio and the Still House clients.
“It is always an honour to have our work recognised, particularly alongside so many talented designers and beautiful Australian homes,” says Marylou. “But the most rewarding part is knowing that Still House is a home the family truly loves living in – one that feels as good on an ordinary day as it does when it is full of people.”
Explore the full Still House project here.
