“The owners are huge foodies and entertainers maestros – so the kitchen was to be the absolute

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« “The design concept was to reclaim a sense of those spaces being individual but connected so where we demolished walls we also retained and expressed oversized bulkheads and beams,” says Debbie, who used these beams to delineate interior zones, endowing each with a different ceiling treatment and lighting concept.

The entryway, halls, dining room and kitchen leaned towards a more traditional character with panelling, cornices and architraves whereas the newly unobstructed flow from living room to outdoor terrace was expressed by stripping back all embellishments for a more modern line that was less enclosing.

Enhancing the home’s openness and drawing in more natural light on the entertaining level was achieved by amalgamating a series of low-hanging French doors and replacing them with a single-span, 4.5-metre opening that was framed in steel. This instantly improved light, ventilation and access but also opened up those enviable gun-barrel views down to the harbour and the bridge.

Debbie took the same approach in the master ensuite where new twinned windows were installed over a pair of handbasins. Previously, a double-bricked wall had hindered any view outside and blocked natural light coming in.

The five-year project was “a protracted process”, says Debbie, due in part to the evolution of the brief. But once that was resolved the project was deftly completed in only eight months of on-site construction.

One of the spaces that drew the most attention in detailing was the kitchen. “The owners are huge foodies and entertainers – they’re culinary maestros – so the kitchen was to be the absolute epicentre of the home.” »

&Tradition ‘Develius’ modular sofa from Cult, Minotti ‘Cortina’ lounge chair from De De Ce and Herman Miller ‘I-Beam’ coffee table from Living Edge. Robyn Cosgrove rug. ‘Ginkgo’ floor lamp from Conley & Co. In the dining room, Sublime by Kate Shaw from Olsen Gallery. Vintage Thonet ‘S533’ chairs by Mies van der Rohe surround the ‘Global’ dining table in Slate Black from MCM House. Workstead ‘Signal’ sconce on the wall by the kitchen. ‘Partridge’ bar stools from DesignByThem at the custom kitchen island by Pollak Design. Brodware ‘City Stik’ kitchen mixer from Candana. Honed Elba splashback from Artedomus. The upper walls are finished in polished plaster and a brass strip. Aerin ‘Clement’ sconces from The Montauk Lighting Co. New Volumes ‘Spomenik I’ fruit bowl from Cult. ‘Linear’ pendant light from Giffin Design.