GREY IS THE NEW BLACK SOURCE MATERIALS

It’s a fact: grey is here to stay. Right now, it’s all about creating depth and texture with this decorating staple. Monochrome, minimalist and clay-coated, this home is cleverly designed to be unpretentious, using materials that allow it to age beautiful

GREY IS THE NEW BLACK

Creating depth and texture with this home decorating staple.

Calming, elegant and the ideal foil for more colourful furniture and accessories, greys have long been a go-to backdrop for designers and architects. In this home, dark, dramatic shades and a wealth of contrasting textures take this hue to an exciting new level. Natural materials and simplicity are at the root of this property’s grey interior, which makes use of clay, wood, steel and tadelakt plaster – a traditional Moroccan wall-surfacing technique. Monochrome, minimalist and earthy hues can be seen in the living room and adjoining bar area, which features a built-in fireplace, clay-coated walls, pastellone floors and a bar made from raw steel. Spherical lamps from France complete the look.

Crafted over four levels, the home’s four expansive bedrooms, two offices, and spacious living area, including a kitchen, dining room, lounge and bar, were inspired by the philosophy of wabi-sabi – a traditional Japanese aesthetic in which beauty is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. The garden has been landscaped with various levels, creating multiple spaces for the home owners to relax in. Outdoor features including the large street-art mural painted on the back brick wall can be viewed from inside the house through multiple large windows. A tasteful mixture of smooth and slubby linens in neutral shades was chosen for the curtains and upholstery, while cool-toned greys work to accentuate minimalist decor, and deep charcoal shades create an enveloping cosiness. An emphasis on natural shapes and wood grains in the furniture is consistent with the home’s rejection of all things synthetic, merging seamlessly into the space and highlighting the greens from the garden as seen through the many windows. The creation of false partitions in clay conceals the kitchen storage, creating a streamlined, uncluttered look that highlights the beauty of the space.

FALSE PARTITIONS IN CLAY CONCEAL THE KITCHEN STORAGE.

TADELAKT FEATURES IN THE BATHROOM, WHERE IT HAS BEEN USED TO MOULD THE WASH BASINS.

The house walls are coated in dark pigmented clay that has been fed with linseed oil. The materials chosen ensure a space that doesn’t look shabby as everything within it ages and deteriorates; rather, it becomes more beautiful as time passes. The lower floors and staircases are crafted from Venetian-style pastellone – a natural product made with lime and marble powder – while tadelakt plaster is used to create the work surfaces in the kitchen and bar area. More tadelakt features in the bathroom, where it has been used to mould the wash basins and a generous freestanding bathtub. Upstairs, the floors are made of smooth smoked oak, as is the joinery throughout the home. Used primarily in interior architectural woodwork and furniture, the smoking or ‘fuming’ of the oak – already rich in tannin – makes it even darker. The process adds ammonium and, in contrast with stained or dyed timber, the resulting colour is extremely resistant to UV light and fading. Easy to varnish, it does not require staining.

Smoked oak adds caramelbrown tones to the home. Clockwise from above: The sliding glass doors connect the dining room and kitchen to the back garden and outdoor living area; Stairs by the front door connect the multiple levels of the house; The creation of false partitions in clay conceals the kitchen storage to maintain the beauty of the space; Rustic wooden seating contrasts with the modern spherical pendant lights in the bar area.

Clockwise from left: The master bedroom is architecturally designed in MDF in a library panelling style, and painted in matte black; The multi-level house is connected by stairs made of highly durable pastellone; In the master bathroom, a double vanity with built-in sinks complements the freestanding bathtub; On the opposite side of the bathroom is a walk-in shower that’s enclosed behind a glass shower screen; The pigmented clay walls and art works adhere to the wabi-sabi aesthetic of imperfection and incompleteness. Linseed oil is added to clay plasters to increase water resistance.