The kitchen features a gouged-brass rangehood with figured stone benches and oak cabinetry, integrating a Wolf natural gas cooktop, two Wolf M Series ovens—the Professional Series Built-In oven and Convection Steam oven—and a Sub-Zero Designer Series integrated refrigerator with internal water dispenser.
The kitchen features Anna Charlesworth Brass Can wall light, Floris Wubben Temple vase, vessels from Studio Gardner, and SEM Milano Chimbu stool.
A 1980s Sydney home aptly named Patchwork House brings in a wide range of influences to create a multi-generational family home.
In the leafy Sydney suburb of Vaucluse, a three-level home’s previous minimalist and box-like nature inspired design studio Decus to “rage against its simplicity.” Decus founder and creative director Alexandra Donohoe Church says the clients were seeking something a little irreverent and intriguing, with subtle surprises along the way but nothing that screamed too loudly. “They’re very low-key people, yet incredibly accomplished and witty, and I feel the house is a true embodiment of both clients,” Donohoe Church says.
Throughout the interiors, natural materials such as granite, marble, oak, and brass add interest and depth, alongside selected furnishings, many of which were custom-designed for the home by Decus. The neutral, warm-toned material palette is punctuated with burgundy, ink, and terracotta—a nod to the former 80s-era design.
A granite kitchen island is balanced by a custom aged brass, grooved rangehood inspired by the work of Neo-romantic artist William Guillon.
The bar next to the kitchen is crafted from CDK Stone Cipollino Ondulato and solid oak.
Visitors enter through a hallway leading to a double-height cupola, with a circular skylight that allows ample light to flood the space. “This space is almost the vagal nerve of the home, quite literally connecting and feeding into all the rooms on the ground floor,” Donohoe Church explains. This central cupola leads to an open-plan kitchen and living area intended for both everyday moments and entertaining, with an expansive custom dining table that overlooks the leafy neighbourhood beyond. Elsewhere on the ground floor, a purple-hued lounge, demarcated by textural Flemish glass doors, connects to a library with full-height bookshelves.
The main floor has a bent towards entertaining and hosting guests, with additional spaces for gathering that include a rumpus room, wine cellar, outdoor terrace, cinema, sauna, and guest quarters. As Donohoe Church describes, it’s “a place to party, party, party, while accommodating three generations of this incredibly close-knit, extended family under one roof.”
Stone-lined stairs lead to the newly built upper level, which features bedrooms and a quiet study area that provide further living spaces for the family. The primary suite is awash with warmth and light, with timber walls, tactile furnishings and textiles, and a wide window that overlooks Watson’s Bay. The children’s rooms each have their own ensuite and built-in window seats, creating the feel of a private refuge.
Decus describes Patchwork House as “chameleonic.” Both welcoming and private, expansive and intimate, lively and elegant, the interiors reinforce the rebellious approach that defines much of Decus’ work. “It’s a beautiful stage for living, executed with playfulness and defiance—a party house and an introvert’s paradise,” Donohoe Church says.
An expansive custom-designed dining table is encircled by GUBI Coco dining chairs, with ceramic pendant lighting by Elsa Foulon overhead and a vintage Willy Guhl Diablo planter from VAMPT.
Vintage Tacchini Costela chair in Brazilian rosewood, custom-designed coffee table, and Bolete side table designed by Batten and Kamp and Henry D’ath. Artwork includes ‘Embedding Tunnels’ (2021) in ‘Matte’ by Isadora Vaughan from Station Gallery, and ‘Cadence V’ (2024) in ‘American Oak’ by Hugh McCarthy from M Contemporary.
An archway lined with Flemish glass leads to an intimate library. An elegant GMG chaise lounge and custom-designed banquette seating by Decus are welcome spots to repose. Also pictured: Caprani Bentwood lamp, Banco de Papel bench by artist Domingos Totora, Pressed Stool 1 by Floris Wubben, Vitra Akari BB3-33S, T01 ceramic side table by Tanika Jellis from Studio Gardner.
A custom bench designed by Decus in the entry hallway stands out against the soft Tongue & Groove floorboards in Freado.
The home’s entrance features a double-height circular cupola with abundant natural light. Here, a 1970s Italian travertine table from Studio Gardner is topped with a vessel by ceramicist Floris Wubben. Candela di Vals pendants by Viabizzuno are suspended overhead.
The plinths in the entrance and staircase are crafted from CDK Stone Monreale marble.
In the powder room, a custom bronze basin and mirror by Decus are paired with Vola tapware, lavender-hued rendered plaster, and Artedomus Magente Quartz stone.
In the study, a DePadova Ava lamp sits alongside a vintage brass floor lamp and a Pamplona chair, both sourced from Studio Gardner. A custom burl-timber desk and rug by Decus anchor the space. The artwork, Gum Wattle Light (2018) by Nicholas Harding, is from Sophie Gannon Gallery. Vessels are by Studio Gardner, with a bowl by Studio Henry Wilson and a vase by Floris Wubben.
Gentle curves help to balance the hard lines, with a custom vanity in Cipollino marble, a custom undulating brass sconce, and teardrop-shaped mirrors.
Rich textures in the bedrooms provide warmth and softness, with tactile terracotta bedding, a custom wool and bamboo rug, and a sheepskin &Tradition Wulff lounge chair.
Custom V.Brokkr brass handles in the walk-in wardrobe.
