We were engaged to undertake a total renovation of this apartment in Bellevue Hill. Boasting a spacious balcony with stunning views, our mission was to transform and open the spaces to flow seamlessly and create a sophisticated and luxurious environment. Using cohesive materials, stone, colours and textures we were able to meet the clients’ aesthetics by incorporating unique, artistic pieces alongside contemporary design elements.
The open-plan layout within the apartment seamlessly connects the living, dining and kitchen spaces. We didn’t want to lose the free-flowing ambience, however, we aimed to create distinct zones. To achieve this, we used soft furnishings to differentiate the spaces. The walls feature an Otsumigaki finish that offers a visible, intriguing texture, as light plays across it and adds warmth to the mid-tone timber floor. The hard finishes and window treatments were selected in calming, tonal hues, providing a serene backdrop that allows the vibrant furnishings with interesting colours and shapes to stand out.
Adjacent to the living room furniture, we designed bar joinery that allows this space to be neatly concealed with pocket doors. When opened, the bar reveals a stunning green quartzite stone complemented by a brass hanging shelf that will age gracefully over time.
This beautifully designed, spacious and open kitchen now exudes elegance and cohesion with the rest of the home and is a space for family and friends to gather comfortably. We extended the kitchen joinery and softened the look by incorporating a curve to create a more open and inviting atmosphere. Understanding the importance of integrated design, we ensured that all appliances and storage compartments were seamlessly incorporated into the joinery and a dedicated space for coffee-making was paramount, to ensure convenience and functionality.
The kitchen island was designed to provide storage, while incorporating bar-height seating and a dining table. The tabletop features vein-cut Classico travertine, surrounded by a custom brass frame, which extends down to the leg of the table. This is complemented by a statement brass pendant light. This area now serves as statement space within the kitchen when looking through from the living room.
A key feature was the introduction of a concealed butler’s pantry, offering a discreet space for larger appliances to be concealed and providing a dedicated area for our client, an enthusiastic baker, to store and organise her baking equipment and allow her a designated area to utilise. Textured vinyl wallpaper complements the selected vein-cut silver stone, adding a touch of elegance and cohesion and cleverly hidden electrical outlets throughout the pantry were included into the joinery to not affect the kitchen’s sleek appearance.
We transformed this space from a study into a ‘snug’, providing an additional area for relaxation and TV viewing. The space was designed to exude comfort and serenity, featuring plush furniture in warm neutral tones. A custom ottoman was designed to double as a coffee table, and soft Roman blinds with a decorative trim were added to the existing window for texture and visual interest. Custom wall-mounted joinery was designed to house storage and the TV, with open shelving to showcase the clients’ extensive objet d’art collection.
This space required a complete redesign to enhance its aesthetic appeal to make it more functional, usable, and inviting for entertaining. We selected furniture and custom-designed joinery to harmonise with the interior rooms. The balcony extends to the master bedroom, where we utilised the clients’ existing concrete table and stools. We incorporated lights into the pillars and installed downlights in the ceiling over the dining area to create a soft and effective illumination for evening gatherings.
We designed this beautiful master bedroom as a luxurious space for our clients to retreat to. Incorporating custom-designed bedside tables, containing charging drawers and an inviting armchair and footstool for reading. We added soft, sheer drapes and block out curtains on the main windows to provide privacy during the day and block out any light during sleep time. A custom designed vanity and entertainment unit was built to incorporate charging ports and beautiful curved open shelves to accommodate the clients’ various devices.
A spacious an opulent walk-in-robe was designed as a feature to the master bedroom. A custom-made bench seat was incorporated into the joinery and we raised the height of the joinery from floor to ceiling with specifically designed spaces, including shoe cupboards. The continuation of panelling, wallpaper and finishes was cohesively incorporated through to the bedroom to harmonise the two rooms to flow seamlessly.
We created a feeling of sophistication and warmth in this luxurious master ensuite by cladding the space using the same stone in different formats. We added a large custom-designed mirror with brass detailing to sit above the built-in bath to reflect light and create the illusion of space.
A niche was created in the bathtub area for the clients to display their art and we replaced the wall-mounted basins with a built-in custom joinery vanity for additional storage. We ensured that the highline windows remained unobstructed, to allow natural light into the space. The bathroom door in fluted glass was incorporated to add texture and to filter light throughout the space.
The clients requested their study be relocated to one of the guest bedrooms to enhance privacy. This now beautifully designed study cohesively blends in with the aesthetics of the home, boasting ample storage with custom joinery in warm, rich timber tones. This study is a peaceful retreat for the owners to use removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
We used Grigio Marble in the laundry to harmonise with other wet rooms within the home. Different formats of the same stone were used for various applications—slabs for the countertops, shelving and shadow-line skirtings, and tiles for the floors. The paint colour complements the monochromatic feel of the home and the mosaic splashback, made in a different stone, introduces visual interest and texture.
After meeting with Marylou and her team, Stephanie her interior architect and Blanka we gave our brief which included the pantry and laundry but also to enhance our patio which was so uninviting despite having a beautiful view.
We now have so much more! A boring media room was converted to a TV snug room, a third bedroom we didn’t need became a study and our second bedroom now has an ensuite shower and toilet added.
Marylou and her team listened carefully to both of our needs. We wanted a casually elegant home where family and friends would feel welcome to sit down and not feel stiff and formal. My hubby and I did have our differences, of course, I love colour, but he prefers monotone shades. Again, Marylou listened. She brought samples that were appropriate to both of us, we were taken to showrooms, factories and suppliers until we were happy and excited about our choices. Marylou has exceptional taste and knows how to coordinate and bring life to the pieces chosen.
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Site meetings were arranged, and we got weekly updates on the progress of work. Stephanie together with Blanka updated drawings and had fabulous ideas of how to get everything we wanted into our apartment.
To date, our after-sales service has been excellent. Obviously in a job as big as this things inevitably go wrong but these have been seen to and rectified immediately.
Needless to say, we are over the moon with the completed project and would recommend anyone wanting to do a complete renovation to use Marylou and her highly experienced team.
It’s been a pleasure working with you all.” – Client
