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Linking the vast spaces of this waterfront house on Sydney’s Middle Harbour in a more coherent way and opening up doorways and corridors was the first step in its reinvention by interior designers Dylan and Nicolette Farrell. The magic followed soon after. “It is a really large house but it felt quite puny,” says Dylan. “There was no wow factor.” The question was how to introduce that without “bastardising the architecture”, something neither the owners nor the designers wished to do.

The house was certainly large enough with six bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms so the footprint did not need to be altered, but the design-conscious owners and their three children were after a greater sense of connectivity and warmth within the home. Working with Bellevarde Constructions, Dylan raised the headers and opened up the passageways to the dining/kitchen, living and family rooms which instantly provided drama, while a floating high-gloss ceiling in the entry brought human scale to the vastness. Add the sweep of the curved, brushed and ebonised oak staircase, an ‘Antler’ table in dark oak with bronze legs, a deep-blue Ryan Hoffmann artwork and Allied Maker sconces – and there’s wow factor in spades.

The entrance leads into the dining/kitchen, a monumental room with sweeping views on one side up the driveway towards the pool and tennis court, on the other to the meandering curves of Middle Harbour and a flotilla of bobbing yachts, all framed by bushland. Beside all this beauty the fireplace could be overlooked but it is a focal point with the mantelpiece clad in near-black combed lacquer rising to the ceiling above the asymmetric hand-burnished brass surround. “We were going to source an artwork for above the fireplace but when the mantel went in we realised that was enough,” says Dylan. The dining table, all 3.8 metres of it, speaks to the owners’ love of entertaining and is a custom piece by Dylan Farrell Design in ebonised and cerused oak with bronze legs. “It really owns the space,” says Nicolette, lead designer on the project, assisted by James Lee.

The kitchen is a discreet presence, chic as a cocktail bar with its two different marbles, Calacatta Viola and Grigio San Marco,

sandblasted and honed, and two different timbers, both wire-brushed, oxidised and cerused, plus a trio of overhead lights by Lindsey Adelman for Roll & Hill that echo the branches of the trees. “The materials are sculptural and beautiful and feel as natural as possible to reflect the elements outside,” says Nicolette. A hidden preparation area ensures that the kitchen always looks pristine.

A standout is the splashback which is cut panels of honed Grigio San Marco stone in a randomly assembled format. “Everyone asked ‘why would you cut up a slab like this?’,” says Dylan. “But it was to prevent it feeling too monolithic, and in fact it actually enhances the stone.” The owner agrees, “It’s the thing that people notice above everything else, and is one of my favourite features.”

Nature is never far away – whether it’s the view just beyond the double-glazed sliders or referenced in the fittings, furniture and finishes. The powder room vanity, for instance, a bespoke piece by Dylan Farrell Design, is reminiscent of flower petals. The Petite Friture ‘Vertigo’ light fittings in the family room remind the owner of butterflies, while the Matter Made pendant in the void resembles a vine trailing down the length of the stairway. “When we bought the house we loved that it blends in with nature without being too remote, and Dylan and the team were very respectful of that,” says the owner.

Nature is evident at every turn, but the palette is punchy with a kaleidoscope of colours providing unexpected frissons. A collage of spheres by Nemo Jantzen sets the scene in the entry, a quartet of works by Alesandro Ljubicic in the kitchen/dining slice through the earthy tonal theme, while the turquoise of the master bedside tables is echoed in the Ligne Roset ‘Ploum’ sofa in the room’s sitting area.

Dylan and Nicolette specified many bespoke pieces, some from Dylan’s own line for Jean de Merry such as the ‘Leveller’ leather and metal chair he showed at April’s Milan Design Week, the ‘Rachis’ table and the ‘Tension’ lamp, among others. The curved sofa in the living room was specially designed as “there was nothing available with the exact right curve and length”, says Dylan. These pieces give the home a unique feel, but while it has a grandeur it is not pretentious, and the designers were always conscious of functionality. “This is what I call ornamental minimalism,” says Dylan. “It’s pared-back but not too much. And while the materiality feels luxe it is also robust.” Opulent but grounded – now that’s a magic combination. #