Located in the south of London, an Indigenous Australian artwork served as the main inspiration for architecture and interior design studio De Rosee Sa in this Edwardian revival.
Designed for an Australian living in London, the owner sought a home that referenced the warmth and texture of Australian interiors while maintaining the essence of its English setting.
This gave architecture and interior design practice De Rosee Sa the task of carefully refurbishing Garden House, given that the home “had gone through an unsympathetic renovation in the early 2000s,” De Rosee Sa architect George Yallop says. At the same time, they enhanced indoor-outdoor flow, reflecting the relaxed style of Australian design.
This involved extensive structural work, with the home’s four storeys reconfigured to fit five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a powder room, two living areas, a spacious kitchen, and a large dining area overlooking the rear studio and the garden—arguably the heart of the home. A key aspect of the design was removing the raised terrace and lowering the rear half of the ground floor. This change opened up the space to better connect the house, the garden and the studio, which includes a sixth bedroom, ensuite and private gym.
De Rosee Sa acheived the transition between the indoors and outdoors through the installation of full-width, full-length and slim-framed sliding doors, which not only offer an uninterrupted sight line to the home’s garden by Ula Maria Studio, but also extend the Australian-inspired interior palette to the outdoor guest and entertainment area.
In the second living area, &Tradition Margas LC1 Lounge chairs by Louise Liljencrantz and custom De Rosee Sa furniture are featured, such as the sofa, which was unholstered in Rose Uniacke cotton velvet in gingerbread, and the Button Box stool.
Calacatta Oro stone features in the kitchen, complementing the home’s earthy palette and relationship to the garden. “The kitchen has a subtle green tone linking it to the garden,” Yallop says.
Dark grey and natural beige limestone tiles were chosen in the entryway to “avoid the starkness of black and white,” Yallop says. Beyond, a Menu Reverse table lamp by Aleksandar Lazic sits on a Robin Myerscough Reeded Console table.
The owner’s artwork in the main living area inspired the furniture selection, such as Hay‘s pink-toned Arbour Eco sofa by Andreas Engesvik and Daniel Rybakken and De Rosee Sa’s Coupled ottoman. The Gubi Stay Lounge chairs in sheepskin by Space Copenhagen and the burgundy &Tradition Tung side table by John Astbury amplify the warming tones.
In the dining room, a Raylene Walatinna & Daisy Barney artwork titled ‘Ngura’ (Country) served as the inspiration for the home’s colour palette.
“The owner had an Indigenous artwork from Australia that became a key inspiration for the design,” De Rosee Sa interior designer Eliza Davey says. “We had the piece stretched, reframed and placed in the dining room, setting the tone with earthy Australian hues like deep reds and browns.”
This nostalgic Australian colour palette extends throughout the home’s interior, where bespoke pieces by De Rosee Sa are integrated into the design. In the second living area, the studio’s custom velvet sofa, upholstered in Rose Uniacke’s gingerbread-coloured fabric, is paired with their contemporary Button Box stool and a vintage rug. “A mix of new, vintage and second-hand pieces were used to create a lived-in, comfortable home, balancing practicality with beauty,” Davey continues.
Intricate cornices, classic skirtings and the home’s original fireplaces honour the owner’s desire to infuse English character into the design. In the extension, the studio introduced subtle contemporary elements in the joinery, lighting and flooring, where formal herringbone was switched out for rustic, sawn-finish planks. Exposed joists were added to maintain design cohesion, while textured ceiling lighting creates an artistic layering effect throughout the combined kitchen, living and dining areas.
Guided by their ethos of designing homes that reflect how people truly live, De Rosee Sa has skilfully united the spirit of Australian living and the vibrant energy of London in Garden House. The result is a home anchored by a strong indoor-outdoor connection, that brings nature into everyday life.
A Pinch Mead dining table, a terracotta-stretched Objekto Paulistano armchair by Paulo Mendes da Rocha and a Christopher Farr Usak Brown rug sit in the foreground of the floor-to-ceiling garden views.
The dressing room offsets the bathroom’s bold brown-toned Viola marble with its walnut joinery and silk wallpaper. “The open design connects the dressing room to the bathroom, softening the transition and making it feel like one cohesive and inviting space,” Davey says.
De Rosee Sa, in collaboration with Ula Maria Studio, avoided hard landscaping elements like planter walls or balustrades. “Ula zoned the garden into informal areas, using a mix of materials like different pavers and bricks, which added texture and character,” Yallop says.
A naturally overgrown path guides guests to the studio which has its own bedroom, ensuite and gym.
