MELBOURNE

Interior designer David Hicks has created a luxe, dark and handsome ambience in this apartment where art and antiques sit happily with slick contemporary finishes.

The dark, dramatic palette of this rooftop penthouse provides the perfect backdrop for the owners’ precious collection of antiques.

After 15 years of collecting precious antiques and filling a huge, neoclassical family house, the owners of this rooftop penthouse found it a challenge to downsize to an apartment almost four sizes smaller, considerably more modern and all on one level. It meant selling their home’s entire contents and holding on to only treasured pieces. Enter David Hicks, who helped steer his clients in the right direction, buoyed by the “clean slate” the space offered. He worked intimately with his clients on the “sight unseen” residence to establish a supremely bespoke interior that included raising the ceiling to make room for a large tapestry in the entry, designing cabinetry to accommodate hero pieces, modifying old French chandeliers for new placement and personalising wardrobe space.

The owners sought a subdued, moody scheme to offset the intense natural light from the floor-to-ceiling glass. David says this deviation from convention was a brave choice considering today’s general preference for the safety of bright, expansive whiteon-white. “The apartment occupies the entire top floor of the building with 360-degree glazing, so a darker interior really suited the space. It has allowed some warmth and respite from the sun.” For balance, David fashioned a luxurious arrangement of chocolate parquetry, smoky walls, seagrass wallpaper, hand-knotted rugs and rattan armchairs accented with Knoll Saarinen ‘Executive’ chairs in white linen and milk-honeycomb kitchen marble slabs.

By enclosing some spaces and enhancing or exposing others, combined with the “chiaroscuro created by the materials palette”, the result is a “sanctuary with a resort-like feel”, says David. “The tension between the decorative elements and furnishings is well considered and talks of the clients’ travels while softly melding the crossroads of different cultures.” It’s a moody direction inspired by resorts Amansara Cambodia and Amanoi Vietnam which David admires for their masterful interplay between dark and light.

The couple’s extensive antiques collection has been carefully positioned around the apartment, evoking trips gone by. “It’s been wonderful to explore amazing sights, fabulous food and unique cultures,” the owners say. “It became an obsession of ours to bring home the perfect souvenir … almost always a piece for our home. We would often spend days combing a city, discovering the right district and hidden streets.” Their abundance of treasures meant it was incumbent upon David to ensure each object had its place, taking into account walls, shelves and a lighting scheme to showcase their artefacts, sourced everywhere from Saint-Ouen to Nairobi, the ancient streets of Fez, Borneo and Egypt where they brought home hand-painted wooden vases inlaid with mother-of-pearl.

Flanked by Murano glass sconces, the apartment elevator opens into a long gallery decorated with a Georgian-style console and a pair of vintage giltwood torchères. To the left is the open plan dining and living zone anchored by a midnight-black

« honed Nero Marquina marble-clad fireplace. The luxurious space is outfitted with mohair slipper chairs, a metallic velvet sofa, polished-chrome coffee table and baby grand piano poised by the window. Just beyond, a bar leads around to the study. The kitchen is adjacent, featuring Calacatta Oro honed marble and Zimbabwe black granite. Wrapping around the penthouse is a generous open terrace in silver travertine with landscaping by Paul Bangay and a pool glittering with inky Bisazza tiles.

Towards the eastern wing are the private guest bedrooms with ensuites, and a cosy retreat branching off the hallway swathed in deep, rich hues and decorative masks from Kenya, ancient ceramics and sheer curtains that provide a feminine touch to the masculine palette.

A Knoll Saarinen ‘Tulip’ side table and angular Pierre Jeanneret armchair add a surprising modernist accent. Commanding this end of the penthouse is the master bedroom lined in soft grey moiré wallpaper and layered with an oversized triptych.

David was also responsible for customising the generous floor plans, interior design and decoration for the other apartments in the multi-res block by Gurner and Cox Architecture. Says David, “We see this less as development work and more of individual solutions for each purchaser. I see this as the way of the future for inner-city living. Clients want a turnkey solution but do not want a ‘one size fits all’ approach. They want individuality, quality and a detailed, resolved end product.” davidhicks.com

SPEED READ

» The owners of this full-floor rooftop penthouse purchased it sight unseen off the plan. » They began working with designer David Hicks from the outset. » The owners were downsizing from their large, antiques-filled family home so they sold the majority of their collection. » They kept their most precious pieces and worked with David on a floor plan to accommodate their needs and ensure uninterrupted sightlines. » The design scheme involved layering rich materials with decorative elements. » The apartment is wrapped in 360-degree glazing so David softened the intense light with a darker palette. » The moody hues were designed to complement the sentimental antiques and artefacts the owners had collected over the years.

This page “The antiques speak for themselves so we provided a dramatic backdrop for them to sit seamlessly. Introducing specific places for each piece with strategic lighting was also key,” says interior designer David Hicks. Cast-iron base butcher’s table with marble top from Saint-Ouen antique district in Paris. On top is a large ammonite fossil on a cast-iron stand. Three-branch silver candelabra bought from a Melbourne antique auction. The maidenhair fern was planted by the owner’s late mother 25 years ago. Opposite page In the entry is a palatial 18th-century French tapestry. Georgian-style European oak sideboard and giltwood antique torchère from Graham Geddes Antiques. Stained oak parquetry floor.

This page The kitchen joinery in aged-oak veneer with a matt ebony stain and overhead cabinets in Dulux ‘Oriental Shimmer’ metallic paint bring out the gold in the Calacatta Oro honed marble from Corsi & Nicolai which was selected for its dramatic veining and rich tones. Back bench and splashback in dramatic honed Zimbabwe black granite. Fittings include Gaggenau appliances, Franke sinks, Liebherr refrigerator and Vintec wine fridge. Opposite page, from left The 19thcentury bronze French chandelier was purchased in Paris for the couple’s previous home and David modified it to fit over the dining table in the new home. The antique cushion mirror was also purchased in Paris. Carlos II-style oak console from Graham Geddes Antiques. Lago ‘Air’ dining table from Misura. Knoll Saarinen ‘Executive’ chairs upholstered in white linen. Walls painted in smoky Dulux ‘Caps’. Looking from the living room into the dining space, ‘Monogram’ polished chrome coffee table from James Said on a Battilossi rug hand-knotted in Afghanistan. Slipper armchairs and 17th-century Indonesian rain drum in bronze, all from David Hicks.

These pages The 19th-century bronze French chandelier was originally purchased and shipped from Paris for the grand entrance foyer of the couple’s previous home and David delicately modified it to fit over the dining table. Lago ‘Air’ dining table from Misura with Knoll Saarinen ‘Executive’ chairs in white linen. The sofa was re-covered in metallic velvet. The collected objects were purchased by the owners on their travels. Custom-made slipper armchairs by David Hicks and Pierre Jeanneret armchair. Classical stone figure of Aphrodite standing on a metal iron pedestal with a base from a Victorian country antique auction. The fireplace is clad in Nero Marquina marble. Stained in ebony, the shelving unit is lined in Seabrook woven wallpaper and the alcoves are highlighted with strip LED lighting so the objects glow at night.

This page, clockwise from top All the antiques were integrated into the plan with cabinetry and wall space designed for the specific placement of objects and artwork. “The walls tell an amazing story that is so rich with texture, colour and personality,” says David. On the left-hand shelving are a pair of large Egyptian vases, an 18th-century Burmese wooden standing figure, a tagine bought in Fez, Morocco, decorative food bins bought in China and Greek urns from Barakat, Beverly Hills. The right shelves include a 17th-century wooden Buddha from Burma and an Apulian Greek krater purchased at a Melbourne antiques auction. The retreat features a pendant light with delicate glass ‘leaves’ from James Said. Knoll Saarinen ‘Tulip’ side table from De De Ce. African masks purchased by the owners from Nairobi, Kenya. Rug from Bayliss. The lift opens directly into the apartment and is flanked by a pair of Italian Murano glass foyer sconces from Nicholas & Alistair. Opposite page The 19th-century Baccarat crystal chandelier was modified to fit the master ensuite which includes honed Carrara marble from Corsi & Nicolai on the walls and floor. The custom, solid-surface bath is mounted atop a honed Nero Marquina marble platform. Antique Javanese drum from David Hicks.