Flack Studio

PROJECTS BY

THE KITCHEN IS VITAL to a home – used at all times of the day and by all members of the household. Receiving the gong for Best Residential Kitchen Design, Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan of Kennedy Nolan explain the approach for their Caroline House project as an aesthetic expression which is both clearly that of a kitchen but also a passive, gentle background to the open-plan arrangement of the home. They explored the elements that make up a kitchen and softened them or reduced them to a texture. The home’s island bench is modelled as a curving form which relates to the overall geometry of the house and makes it seem less dominant in the space. Further, the tonal materials – small-format glazed baguette tiles and limed cabinetry – are consistent with the master palette. Continuous tiled surfaces break down the articulation of separate elements, including the rangehood tubes, while judicious integration of kitchen elements reduces visual noise and resolves in a peaceful kitchen design that doesn’t attempt to conceal its essential use. Kennedy Nolan’s Caroline House was also a finalist in 2019’s Best Residential Interior category, see page 160. kennedynolan.com.au

FOR JULIETTE ARENT AND SARAH-JANE PYKE of Sydney interior design studio Arent & Pyke, the fiddle leaf fig that rises up the light well of their Under the Tree residence could be seen to represent the organic nature of the project, which grew and branched out over six years, and for which the design duo have been awarded Best Residential Interior. Joining the project towards the end of the boundary-pushing build – boasting a robust palette of sandstone bricks, bagged brickwork and polished concrete – Arent & Pyke layered the home with warmth, personality and intimate spaces. The light well and its fig formed the centrepiece for this open-plan family hub. To the front is the original timber cottage, now stained black, while the rear addition encompasses three brick volumes decreasing in width like a telescope tube towards the galley kitchen and courtyard. The raw palette received a softening layer that allowed the original qualities to show through, with lighting integral in achieving this delicate balance. Colours charged with the same task are earthy and warm – from mustard to forest green – and textures range from abaca rugs, wool and bouclé to Belgian linen and cowhide. Visit homestolove.com.au/belle to view Under the Tree by Arent & Pyke. arentpyke.com

STUDIO PARTNE RS AND SISTERS interior architect Yasmine Ghoniem (pictured) and landscape architect Katy Svalbe make up Sydney-based design practice Amber Road. For this year’s awards, Amber Road presented a suite of projects that demonstrate bold, confident use of colour spanning the full spectrum, including Sydney’s Collectionist hotel. To recognise this superb body of work, Amber Road has been awarded Best Work with Colour, while Yasmine was awarded Best Hospitality Interior for the design of Edition Coffee Roasters in Haymarket, Sydney. At Edition Coffee Roasters, the cafe emanates traditional Japanese rural life, existing in stark contrast to its modern surrounds. This notion was developed by applying materials inspired by centuries-old techniques including shou sugi ban, a method of preserving timber by charring it; sharasu kabe, a unique raked wall plaster made from volcanic soil; and zaisu, Japanese seating typified as a chair with no legs. As a result, the highly textured yet all-black palette is forever in flux, deviating from inky indigo to warm browns depending on available light. Visit homestolove.com.au/belle to view Edition Coffee Roasters and selected works by Amber Road. amberroaddesign.com.au