Seaside Residence

Seaside Residence was a partial renovation of a beautiful Georgian home in the seaside town of Mt. Eliza. Our clients have a young family with 2 boys. An active life by the coast is ideal for them, and they wanted a home that was calm, but filled with personality - something young and fresh, that still honoured the traditional architectural style of their heritage home. Pursuing a neutral scheme, we opened up the living space by removing the dividing wall between the dining and lounge areas. This allowed an abundance of light to flood in and connect the two activity spaces. Vein cut travertine tiled flooring elevates the living space to signify the division of areas. Existing flooring was refinished with a lime wash.

We allowed the living areas a serenity through simplicity in joinery and soft colour palette. We punctuated the personality, a casual charisma, into the rooms through feature furniture, art, accessories and detailing. Details include pops of colour in joinery, contrasting hues, and curved edges. The joinery is simple in form but sculptural. We allowed for enclosed sections beside the fireplace to act as entertaining cabinets. The original house had a bar in the living room. We replaced this, to open up the floor, with a drinks cabinet integrated into the joinery.

We opened the kitchen onto the dining room for entertaining and lightness. Calming finishes of natural stone, white powder-coated metals and satin 2pac feature throughout. Copper accents were integrated into the fridge hardware and mixer for a subtle vibrancy that was youthful like our clients. Shelves are suspended marble, and the island features white powder-coated legs. At the entry, we allowed light to be the hero, featuring bench seating that complemented the client’s existing artwork. The staircase was filled to allow a quiet drama in sculptural volumes. We also added a rounded balustrade with contrast top strapping that reflected the colour of the door to create a coherent visual language from the entry into the home. We’re thrilled with the finished outcome. The partial renovation gave way to increasing the functionality around the family’s needs, as well as injecting a healthy dose of their personalities into it too.

Sally Caroline

Art Direction: Marsha Golemac