A house like a contemporary piece of art with a hipster heart – giving an old colonial creation a new life. Creating a home for “two introverts in a world of extroverts” the design team from Breathe Architecture turned this charming Victorian house in Sidney into a calm, stylish and artful sanctuary with a modern interface.
The decor composition is creative and elaborate that it offers endless possibilities of discovery and wonder, creating a sense of abundance despite the modest footprint of the home. The cave-like sanctuary and rich textural coziness of the interior starts with the entry of the hose where dark colors and black accents – including the trendy curtains on the ornamented Victorian windows – create a cozy niche with snick-in level and custom-made bench in deep gray, offering a quiet retreat from the noise outside.
We love the trendy rich materials approach towards the finishes; raw concrete for walls alternates with brick- inspired floor tiles arranged in herringbone patterns, and beautiful wooden parquet finishes. Exposed wooden beams and ceiling details together with some original decor elements from the Victorian era like the corner fireplace or the windows frames are juxtaposed to trendy interior additions; like the black metal framed glass partitions, skylight openings and row concrete surfaces – a combination that creates dynamic and artful tension between charming history and modern style.
The design team used a play of levels, textures, and cladding throughout the house a cute suspended stair element here, a sink-in niche there, an unexpected ceiling opening and exposure of the spine of the house are combined with alternation of wood, concrete, tile, and metal. This richness of ideas and textures creates a dynamic ambiance with multiple cozy features to discover. The dark colors palette base in combination with the organic inspiration for the selection of the materials gives a warm and cozy sensation to the overall decor.
Art pieces, retro details, and inspired, trendy insertions add to the entertaining nature of the design idea. Suspended metal shelves above the kitchen counter add a stylish and dynamic accent to the white tile clad kitchen niche – a bit like hipster pub decor. The open plan exposition of the kitchen and dining zones connects with secluded, level-down outside garden.
The large glass doors and the insertion of sky openings give an abundance of light to the inner premises, creating a bright and spacious feel. Multiple pieces of contemporary art and custom–made structures like the shelving on the deep gray walls, the bench in the living room, the library for the owner’s vinyl collection and so on – straighten the unique character of the decor composition. We just love the green and organic bathroom experience – a very stylish, welcoming and modern composition there.
