In May 2014 we were contacted by Michael and Sandra Donovan in Victoria asking for our assistance with hard finish selections and furniture for their new private residence project on the Mornington Peninsula.
Their brief was a “resort-style’ home with an Asian feel blending indoor and outdoor elements to create a seamless space. The property was to be built on an elevated site adjoining the Trofeo Estate vineyards overlooking the bay at Mornington Peninsula. The property is within walking distance of the Trofeo Estate “Whispering Vines” Restaurant and is surrounded by vineyards, open pasture and lake.
Initially we worked with Michael and Sandra’s architects, Forgan Smith Architects, in selecting the hard finishes and reviewing the interior spaces. Once the building works commenced we worked directly with Michael and Sandra in selecting virtually everything for the property from the hard finishes to the paint finishes, to the furniture, to the soft furnishings, to the artwork and accessories. Our intention was to connect the massive modern architectural space to the natural elements that surrounded it.
GOOGLE AERIAL SATELLITE IMAGE OF RESIDENCE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Feature doors and door frames, room- dividing shutters and bedroom screens were constructed in timber and were stained black. This reflected a contemporary Japanese architectural element that brought a dramatic impact to the warm white walls.
All the hard surfaces – tiles, flooring, bench tops and joinery – were finished in earthy, natural, contemporary colours and textures, to complement the local environment, using local stone, blonde and black timbers and a colour palette of warm white, soft taupe, ochre and warm grey. Every room featured an accent of colour which reflected either the water views, the landscape or the local flora and fauna.
Fireplaces and internal feature walls were clad in ‘square format’ grey/gold quartz tiles, which worked well to also break up the white painted walls. The quartz tiles were introduced in large proportions to the exterior cladding of the home, to likewise give relief to the painted walls and to connect the exterior to the interior spaces.
The furniture and furnishings we chose were eclectic and blended an element of luxury, rural-industrial and an understated oriental style. We chose beautifully shaped and crafted furniture, which included solid timber tables, wicker and rattan detailed chairs, industrial metal feature lighting and metal accent furniture pieces, heavily textured fabrics, and for contrast, smooth glass table lamps. The combination of these elements resulted in a comfortably sophisticated, rich and relaxed environment.
To accessorize the home, we played with layering heavy textured cushions and throw rugs, organic shaped vases and strong colours. The styling was minimal and casual which gave opportunity for Michael and Sandra to add the treasured pieces they had collected along the way. An important aspect of the design was the concept of blending the indoor living spaces to expand and blend with the outdoor spaces. We achieved this in part by introducing floral arrangements and large indoor trees inside the house, that reflected and were inspired by flowers and plants found in the surrounding exterior landscape. The artwork (by local artists) featured native landscapes and flora which again reinforced the design concept. The exterior areas and landscaping were also carefully designed to blend seamlessly with the interior spaces of the home. There are large courtyards and gardens that lead off the 3 self-contained pods and we used a similar colour palette for the outdoor furniture to blend with the indoor design, which has worked very successfully.
The design of the landscaping and pool areas outside the main house were quite structured and formal, with raised planter boxes, large geometric pavers and black bark mulch. It was the perfect foil for the deep green plant foliage and violet and white perfumed flowers.
We finally completed this project 2 years later in the latter part of 2016.
