Our close friends and returning clients purchased a property a few blocks from where they had lived for its generous garden space. They wanted a house that felt like it developed organically rather than having a sterile “new house” feeling. We brought back a lot of the fenestration lost in the existing Edwardian during its ‘70s renovations, and used colour and textured finishes including natural stone and timber internally to bring warmth and patina.

The family love to cook, eat and entertain. They can now adapt their house to suit their needs, whether it’s playing cards or ping pong at the large dining table, opening up to a bigger group via the large sliding door or making a drink for old school friends at the spritz bar. The kitchen and dining space are the heart of the house and are set back from the boundary creating an L shaped deck. With walls of glass and large openable skylights, the space is light-filled which generally means no artificial light is required until the sun sets. It was designed so that all-day sunlight is funnelled in and not affected by the two-storey extension on their northern boundary

Our client’s heritage and time spent in Rome inspired the peachy-pink and terracotta walls. Finishes were handpicked in collaboration with them to create a sweet, colour-saturated and warm interior and playful exterior that reflects their personality. The chequered stone island bench and liquorice drawer pulls are whimsical and details like curved edges, pink marble and coloured glass add to the dessert-like experience inside. The coloured glass within the new kitchen references the original window details to the front of the home and ties the heritage and the contemporary spaces together.

The new house was nicknamed ‘Casa Cassata’ during the build—a nod to the clients’ Italian heritage, reflecting the playful, colourful nature of the house.