Living Colour Invigorating hues have transformed a beach house into a truly happy place.
Jubilant, invigorating hues are handled with exceptional expertise in this beach house, which never fails to please its owners.
Sydney interior designer Cameron Kimber is well known for his refined and elegantly tonal schemes. So it is something of a surprise to see the bursts of exuberant primary colours splashed around this beachside weekender that he recently completed for longstanding clients. The house was originally a classic brick and weatherboard structure and its interiors were in need of a refresh. Cameron suggested that the owners approach Daniel Boddam Studio, because he felt that Daniel’s architectural aesthetic would be in sync with their style. “The owners loved the house in its previous embodiment and this meant the new version had to be even better,” says Cameron.
The result is a completely rebuilt home, spread over three floors with five bedrooms, a clean-lined kitchen, beautiful ocean vistas and a cabana. Retaining its coastal feel, the house has been updated with white-painted timberwork, grey decking and copper sheeting, and now presents a relaxed and contemporary face to the water.
If joy is to be found in colour, then this is most definitely a joyful home. The first inkling of the happy vibe within comes at the front entrance, which features a stable-style door painted a custom deep-coral hue. “It’s great fun,” says Cameron.
The owners’ vast contemporary art collection, which includes works by Zhong Chen, Marion Borgelt, IanAbdullaandJanetLaurenceamongothers,wastheinspiration for the striking pops of colour that appear throughout. “My starting point was picking out tones that would work with the vibrant art collection,” says Cameron. “Creating a feeling of comfort was important too, since the house was to serve as a weekend getaway for the owners’ family and friends.”
As well, the owners requested that this house feel completely different to their sophisticated and restrained city residence – which Cameron also designed for them. Key to the relaxed appeal of the home is its easy flow from indoors to out, enhanced by the wide doors and windows that provide unobstructed water views and great access to the lush garden. Conceived by landscape designer Marcia Hosking and designed around an existing date palm, the garden is a laidback, versatile and frequently used space, the perfect extension of the living areas that range across the middle level of the home which, because of the slope of the land, becomes ground level at the rear of the property.
While the vibe throughout the home is informal and carefree, the assemblage of furniture runs the gamut of design classics, albeit with a playful edge. An Eero Saarinen ‘Tulip’ dining table is attended by bamboo Chippendale chairs – seemingly conventional, but the chairs, painted Dulux Red Stop and upholstered in Madagascar Straw, pack a punch. Likewise, the guestroom’s Schumacher ‘Zanzibar Trellis’ wallpaper in an acid yellow shade is intensified by the addition of a stool covered in a matching fabric and an artwork in citrus hues. Bespoke lamp bases pop in shades of turquoise and apple green, while comfortable upholstered chairs beckon, dressed in bright-green toile.
White walls (for the most part) and neutral flooring provide the blank canvas onto which are layered the colours and patterns, frills and furbelows. Printed fabrics, cushions edged with fringing and decorative pendant lights complement the art, but do not compete. And while it could appear over the top, it actually feels restrained. In the hands of a consummate professional such as Cameron the look is assured – comfortable, pretty and oh-so chic.
For the owners, their weekender is “a relaxed, family oasis with high comfort”. They continue to add to their extensive art collection with their most recent purchase being a work by Michael Muir, which the owner says, “makes me happy”.
Cameron Kimber Design, Woollahra, NSW; cameronkimber.com.
Daniel Boddam Studio, Potts Point, NSW; danielboddam.com.
Marcia Hosking Landscape Design, Glebe, NSW; (02) 9660 1670.
PORTRAIT Interior designer Cameron Kimber. LIVING Opposite top Custom-upholstered sofas by Cameron Kimber Design in Pierre Frey ‘Collobrières’ and Hill Brown ‘Green Stripe’. Custom armchairs and matching cushions covered in Schumacher ‘Arbre Chinois’. Cushions in Martyn Lawrence Bullard ‘Kabba Kabba’ from Tigger Hall Design. Ottoman covered in Clarence House ‘Mandarin’. Table lamp, Cameron Kimber Design. Abaca rug, International Floorcoverings. Artworks by Marion Borgelt (pink discs) and Zhong Chen. DINING Opposite bottom Eero Saarinen ‘Tulip’ dining table, available from Dedece. The bamboo Chippendale chairs are painted Dulux Red Stop and upholstered in Madagascar Straw. Artworks (from left) by Ali Wood, Michael Muir, and Janet Laurence.
GUESTROOM Above Artwork by Paddy Japaljarri Sims. Wallpaper and stool upholstery in Schumacher ‘Zanzibar Trellis’ in Canary. STAIRWELL Painting by Tom Polo. MAIN BEDROOM Right Custom bedhead and valance in Perennials ‘Jake Stripe’ fabric. Cane sofa and bespoke spoon-back chairs upholstered in Schumacher ‘Nanjing’ toile in Jade. Cushion in Hill Brown ‘Patola’ in Red. Wallpaper is Phillip Jeffries ‘Japanese Paper Weave’ in Ecru. Light fittings by Vaughan Designs. Artworks by Ali Wood. KITCHEN The understated kitchen is home to a small painting by Alexander McKenzie from Martin Browne Contemporary. Handmade subway tiles, Calibre Concepts.
IF JOY IS TO BE FOUND IN COLOUR , THEN THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY A JOYFUL HOME.