Social standing A beachside home is given a mid-century vibe
HOURS SPENT SEARCHING THE INTERNET HAVE CULMINATED IN THIS STRIKING HOME, A VERITABLE WORK OF ART IN SEASIDE PERTH
MAKING AN ENTRANCE
The design intent of homeowners Sasha (opposite, with Russo the labradoodle) and Jason’s home in Perth is clear from the outset. With its floor-to-ceiling windows and eye-catching statements – including a striking yellow front door and concrete staircase treads by Techstone Moulding – the home has a modern inclination. Carefully selected pieces, sourced from and inspired by hours spent on Instagram and Pinterest, give the home its mid-century edge. Sheers from Unique Curtains & Blinds add a sophisticated Hollywood vibe to the ground floor living area (above).
Perth-based Sasha is a social media director, so perhaps it was only natural that work followed her home when she and her husband Jason began building their beachside abode. Consulting the online community, Sasha set about scouring Instagram and Pinterest, creating boards and curating thousands of images to create her wishlist, infused with a global aesthetic. “I spent every evening before bed for a year collecting ideas online, with Jason eventually ordering me to go to sleep,” she says. “I was glued to my phone!” Inevitably Sasha, who shares a passion for quality mid-century style with her husband, found her strength as design director, while Jason chose to cut his teeth on his first project as a builder. The pair turned to Joe Chindarsi from Chindarsi Architects to help realise their vision. “Joe thought he was about to be briefed for a typical coastal home at our initial meeting,” says Sasha. “He quickly shelved any such thoughts once I pulled out my PowerPoint presentation!” On viewing the architect’s design, the pair were blown away. “It was everything that we wanted in a beautiful mid-century/industrial box,” says Sasha. “It’s important to find the right people to share the journey – the ones willing to challenge themselves and do things a different way, not people who tell you that your way can’t be done.” The use of rich, honey-hued teak cabinetry, radiant copper and glamorous mixed metals harks back to a mid-century Palm Springs vibe, with a generous application of concrete – from the smooth floors to the rough-and-ready walls – adding a modern industrial twist. The home, which has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, brazenly subverts the beach-house vernacular of its suburb. It turns heads, so much so that a rubber-necking motorist once crashed into a road sign outside. To achieve the chic interior look, Sasha chose key designer pieces such as a Walter Knoll dining table and Minotti sofa. Often, items were selected and bought over a period of time. “I am a minimalist and would always rather live sparsely while I wait for the perfect piece to come up,” she explains. “I kept an eye out at my favourite stores for a fair while and, as soon as a piece came in that worked, I jumped on it.” While the learning curve of creating their dream home together may have been steep, both Sasha and Jason relished the experience. “I think you have to be a little bit of an architecture and interior design nerd to have built your home in the intense way we did,” says Sasha. “And if I wasn’t before, I certainly am now after the hundreds of hours I’ve spent poring over pictures of homes and interiors! This truly is the house that social media built.”
“FROM THE beginning I HAD SOME STRONG IDEAS OF WHAT I liked IN TERMS OF MID-CENTURY HOMES” ~ SASHA
ALFRESCO AREA
Sasha and Jason love to dine outdoors in the lower entertaining space. Pedrali ‘Dome’ chairs from Innerspace surround a custom concrete table by Cast Designs, which features a metal base from Steele & Co. “We sit there with the barbecue on, throwing the ball to Russo,” says Sasha. The barbecue is housed in an outdoor kitchen of poured concrete, which the handy Jason crafted himself.
KITCHEN Sasha (pictured above, with Jason) dedicated most of her time to sourcing inspiration for the kitchen, opting for a minimal look. “I wanted the teak cabinetry to look completely seamless, with minimalist benchtops and as many black materials as possible,” she says. Moody hues abound in the Armando Vicario taps from Appliances Online, ‘Neolith’ porcelain tiles in Nero by CDK Stone – applied to both the splashback and benchtops – and a Quartzite island benchtop in Infinity from Bravvo Stone. The black allows the soft hues of the teak veneer cabinetry, supplied by Worldwide Timber Traders and installed by Colray Cabinets, to radiate warmth.
DINING AREA “I knew what I was looking for – white and thin, not chunky,” says Sasha of the Walter Knoll ‘Seito’ table from Living Edge (left), paired with ‘Gubi’ dining chairs from Designfarm. “Walter Knoll is an iconic mid-century brand, so it’s a classic.” A glass vase from Empire Homewares and a Menu ‘Weight Here’ candleholder from Innerspace make a statement on the table, which is presided over by a brass Roll & Hill ‘Modo’ chandelier from Contempo. A Georgie Marks artwork was commissioned to enliven the space.
LIVING AREA Investing in classic pieces was a priority, but Sasha still valued practicality in the living area (opposite). “We are not too precious,” she says. “We love to have a wine on the sofa and may have spilled a little on it!” A Minotti ‘Andersen’ sofa fits the brief, while a Minotti ‘Jensen’ leather armchair, also from Contempo, says “designer”. A custom silk rug from The Rug Establishment anchors the space. Cushions and a throw from Innerspace and a vase from Empire Homewares mirror the blues of the Kerry Armstrong artwork.
MAIN BEDROOM The couple’s bedroom (above) has luxury written all over it – from velvet-touch cushions and textural throws from Innerspace to the handsome wall in Solver Paints’ Charcoal and smooth Pandomo concrete flooring by Ardex. A floor-to-ceiling window drinks in ocean views, with a Palm Springs-style desert garden terrace designed by Mon Palmer on the other side of sheers from Unique Curtains & Blinds. “We wanted a show stopper outside this window,” says Sasha, “so that even if we were built out from the ocean view on this level, we’d still have a great aspect.” Lightyears ‘Caravaggio Read Wall’ lights (try Cult) frame the bed, which is partnered with an ‘Oliver’ marble and brass side table by Evie Group.
GUEST BATHROOM The cooler-hued cousin of the upstairs ensuite, the guest bathroom (left) features a chic palette selection thanks to Maximum ‘Aster’ tiles in Mercury from Artedomus on the floors and a mosaic-tiled wall from Myaree Ceramics. ‘Pol’ tapware by Sussex, available from Reece, adds a touch of the industrial while an indoor plant in an Evie Group ‘Oliver’ planter brings in the outdoors.
“I WOULD CONSTANTLY refer BACK TO IMAGES I HAD SAVED TO GAUGE WHETHER WE WERE BEING true TO THE MID-CENTURY ERA” ~ SASHA
ENSUITE The bathroom off Sasha and Jason’s bedroom is five star at every turn. A teak wall-hung vanity is mirrored in class with a Calacatta marble benchtop and another ‘Oliver’ side table by Evie Group. Textured ‘Cube’ gloss ceramic mosaic tiles from Myaree Ceramics and a luxe freestanding Laufen ‘Palomba’ bath (try Reece) ably capture the mood. “I love the clean white against the warm tones of the wood and the tapware,” says Sasha.
POOL
A luxurious lap pool was set above ground, which cleverly alleviated the need to install a pool fence to comply with local building codes. The custom concrete finish is in keeping with the style of the home, as is the warm touch of timber in the Fijian mahogany decking from Austim.
CONTACT
Architect
Joe Chindarsi, Chindarsi Architects, (08) 9328 7238, chindarsi.com.au