Sydney design studio Atelier Alwill captures the essence of European classicism to sculpt the perfect retreat.
Intent on leveraging the site, the owners wanted to maximise their panoramic views of Sydney Harbour through a private outlook from the adjacent tree canopy. The family of five “envisioned a sanctuary with dedicated zones for entertaining and relaxation. They wanted simplicity, calm, and a sense of retreat,” Atelier Alwill director Romaine Alwill explains.
Through reconfiguration, dedicated zones have been created by breaking down the original open floor plan to provide more intimate spaces for the couple and their three adult children to enjoy. “Open and spacious living areas seamlessly connect to the kitchen and dining areas, all flowing effortlessly onto outdoor balconies,” Alwill adds. The home’s fluidity is facilitated through the sinuous forms shaped with entryways, curved walls, joinery, and glazing, allowing the sequences of the new floorplan to be navigated at ease.
The concept of open flow is revealed upon entering the residence. A curved void with a delicate lace-like steel balustrade subtly marks the parameters of the second level. This continues along the staircase, adding “a touch of elegance around its micro cement spine,” Alwill says.
In the dining nook, a B&B Italia Tobi-Ishi outdoor table is paired with Cassina Cab chairs and a Leone Barton painting from Curatorial & Co.
Rooms are bathed in natural light through new openings and supported by a warm, neutral palette that dresses the spaces. These dulcet tones allow the interiors and architecture to marry cohesively, as they play in harmony with the natural surroundings. Alwill explains that “relaxed luxury is subtly woven into every detail” as it offers the perfect canvas for the natural environment to pervade the home. “Our interiors can get lost in the architecture as it is our absolute goal to make it look like a seamless collaboration and that the end result is from one team,” Alwill adds.
Gently offsetting the breezy white kitchen is the honeyed selection of finishes in the adjacent dining room, where the joinery features caramel veins in the stone, accentuated with the brass that frames the fluted glass cabinetry. This is further enhanced with an Alwill custom-designed brass and travertine dining table that rests upon the warm oak timber floors. While in the bathrooms, white-based neutrals are tempered through the natural gradients of colour found within the glossy handmade tiles that dress the walls and with terrazzo flooring. This refined balance delivers a timeless and understated sophistication to the home.
As Alwill attests, “textural layers and soft flowing curves of the simple but relaxed furnishings make this an easy living home, with is at the same time both elegant and unpretentious.”
In the dining room, an Alwill custom-design travertine and brass dining table takes centre stage under a Giopato & Coombes Gem Branch Chandelier 14, paired with Papaya Raglan dining chairs.
In the living room, a Lema Cloud Modular sofa is paired with a Larkwood French Modernist armchair and a set of De Padova Yak armchairs with an Alwill Saddle coffee table and Bzippy Double Tier Cloud side table. The room also features a Ligne Roset Felia floor lamp, Morgan Stokes paintings from Curatorial & Co, and an Alm Floris Wubben vase.
A curved void adorned with a delicate lace-like steel balustrade marks the parameters of the second level and continues along the staircase. Also pictured: an Emmanuelle Simon Raku Yaki sconce with an Ondene Michael Pugh vase on top of a Daniel Boddam Monument table.
In the primary bedroom, a Poliform Le Club armchair and Cultiver x Colin King Collide bed cover and bolster.
Casa Handmade tiles dress the entire walls and bench of the steam room, paired with Mexicana Warm White tiles from Bisanna Tiles that line the floors, including the adjacent sauna room and outdoor areas.
