Moving swiftly and sensitively, the design team at Tom Mark Henry completed the renovation of this now unrecognisable Bronte home in just nine months – a conservative amount of time given a property of this size. As they had only viewed the house twice before their clients settled, their proposed scheme was approved on the basis of hand-drawn sketch boards only.
“Normally we would do more drawings, but they said yes straight away,” says Tom Mark Henry design manager Carla Matias, who worked on the project alongside interior designer Jed Murphy and director Cushla McFadden. “It really set the tone for a relationship built on trust which meant that we could commence work soon after handover.”
The only downside? “It was a painful goodbye. We loved working on this house and when the project ended it meant we couldn’t come as often!”
The master ensuite has floor-to-ceiling beach views. Candana ‘Toronto’ bath. ‘Kasbah’ handmade gloss tiles from Surface Gallery line the shower. Astra Walker ‘Icon’ tapware.
The moody guest bathroom in shades of grey is lit up by a ‘Mini Glo-Ball’ sconce by Flos from Living Edge. Venus stone vanity from WorldStone with an Astra Walker mixer in English Brass, ‘Kasbah’ tiles from Surface Gallery with polished plaster wall finish.
Built in 2005, the house was dated and required extensive internal work, but the biggest eyesore was the balcony facade with what Carla calls an “aggressive” protrusion. “The main structural gesture we applied involved softening and opening it up,” she explains.
This entailed swooping a curve around the roofline of the ground-floor balcony and painting the dark exterior white, an infinitely more suitable colour given its breezy location.
Design studio Tom Mark Henry approached the existing triple-tiered home with its harsh architecture by swooping a soft curve over the balcony and painting the exterior a crisp white, a colour infinitely more suitable given the home’s beachside location in Bronte in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Yet despite its proximity to the beach, the house felt just out of reach, compromised by a bitsy footprint and an unnecessary number of harsh downlights.
The re-imagined design involved a “stripped-back approach” as extraneous details were replaced with clean lines and a gentle yet monochromatic palette in tones of dove grey and milky white with biscuity unfilled limestone flooring, its distressed finish evoking a sandy texture.
The master suite was reoriented to face outwards for ocean views. The ensuite is separated with sliding doors made in Eveneer ‘Saltwood’ veneer. &Tradition ‘Little Petra VB1’ armchair from Cult and travertine side table from ownworld. Wall sculpture by Clementine Maconachie of The Visuals.
Eveneer ‘Saltwood’ custom headboard. Bedlinen and silk velvet cushion from Cultiver. Articolo ‘Ici’ pendant light from Est Lighting above a side table from Dimitri Vargas. Sculptural vase by Cosset Ceramics and Dinosaur Designs jewellery box.
The street gate unfolds into a courtyard followed by the front entry access and then the master bedroom door. When all three are open, there’s an unobstructed line of sight right through to the water.
Previously a missed opportunity, creating a transparent vista was crucial to the client brief. “They wanted a striking arrival moment and, now, the view to the beach is immediate,” says Carla. “This house had so much great potential so rather than starting from scratch we worked with what we already had.”
In the master bedroom a ‘There Oval’ side table from ownworld is paired alongside an &Tradition ‘Little Petra VB1’ armchair from Cult. The ‘Chambon’ travertine tile from Eco Outdoor underfoot echoes the look of sand.
In the heart of the communal area is a Mauro Lipparini ‘Phantom’ dining table from Natuzzi Italia surrounded by Gubi ‘Violin’ chairs from Cult. Hanging above is a ‘Xola’ pendant light from About Space. The large totem and brass sculpture on the table is by Clementine Maconachie of The Visuals. On the joinery is an artwork by Antonia Perricone-Mrljak, terracotta vessel by Cosset Ceramics and white ceramic rings by Milly Dent.
Apertures were stretched for unencumbered visibility and clever alterations such as rendering the glass stairwell for privacy were significant, yet relatively minor, from a structural perspective. Tiered over three levels, the ground floor is dedicated to the private quarters, a space that desperately needed replanning.
“Everything looked internally so we reorganised it to face outwards which felt more natural,” says Jed. “Full-height windows throughout were replaced with as minimal a framework as possible. There’s even a floor-to-ceiling view in the shower. We used a specialised fabric curtain, but even when it’s open there’s still complete privacy. We did lots of testing on that one from street level but haven’t had any complaints so far!”
A disjointed balcony in three parts was to become one unbroken surface.
Changes to the balcony have created the opportunity for a sunny spot to socialise with chairs from GlobeWest surrounding an ‘Anchorage’ table from Coco Republic. On the table is a green jug and glass bowl from The DEA Store.
While vast, the public areas on the ground floor weren’t being maximised, with a large joinery unit straddling the living area and disconnecting the kitchen. “It was completely counterintuitive given the expanse available,” says Carla.
Opening it up gave way to a series of moments conducive to entertaining. To offset the angular architecture, a monolithic kitchen island was created in a supple silhouette and, in the absence of walls, the loose positioning of two armchairs has been anchored by a Volker Haug ‘Oddments’ ring pendant light.
The oversized kitchen island is made from a base in timber veneer ‘Lignapal’ range in Smoked Figured Black Gum from George Fethers with a microcement top. A ‘Corvo’ large vase by Aerin from Becker Minty and ceramic bowl from Alex & Trahanas accessorise the counter. Astra Walker kitchen tap set with pull-out swivel spout in English Brass. Emerald Haze quartz-finish marble from CDK Stone on splashback. Artwork by Alexandra Plim. Eveneer ‘Saltwood’ veneer in Crown pattern with ‘Maralina’ joinery pulls from Pittella on joinery cupboards. Smeg ‘Classic’ thermoseal pyrolytic oven and Smeg ‘Dolce Stil Novo’ gas cooktop, both from Harvey Norman Commercial.
Anchoring the sitting area in the large expanse on the lower-ground floor is a Volker Haug ‘Oddments’ ring pendant light hanging above two ‘Lola’ armchairs from MCM House paired with a Viola marble side table by Dimitri Vargas Giobagnara and a ‘Scala’ ribbed leather stool in Antique Rose Nappa from Becker Minty. Crushed silk cushion from Cultiver. Artwork by Alexandra Plim.
While the couple’s adult children had already left the nest, they have now started staying over in one of the lower-ground floor’s two bedrooms, each with its own ensuite. Also tucked on the same level is a wine cellar, conveniently located near the green lime-washed walls of the cinema room.
An adjoining steam room antechamber was a labour of love, with the clients patiently waiting for glossy, chocolate brown Bejmat Moroccan tiles – the very last item to arrive on site.
The cinema room walls are lined in Porter’s Paints ‘Olive Grove’. De La Espada ‘Kim’ bench and coffee table from Spence & Lyda. Baxter ‘Lazybones’ lounge chairs from Space and white ‘Victor’ sofa and ‘Tribeca’ side table in Viola marble both from Coco Republic. Green ‘Skip’ coffee table from Nau Design with a sculpture by Cosset Ceramics. Fyber ‘Envy’ carpet in Titanium. ‘Lina’ wall light from About Space.
Opus Rosso marble from Artedomus wraps the wellness room. Candana ‘Lunar’ basin with Astra Walker ‘Assemble’ wall set. Bronze-framed custom mirror.
The steam room bench is Opus Rosso marble from Artedomus surrounded by Bejmat handmade gloss tiles with Moroccan-look porcelain floor tiles in Biscuit both from Surface Gallery.
“The rest of the house has ocean and light but we wanted this to feel as if it was carved and nestled into the cliff,” says Jed. The office and wellness room, newly lined in warm timber underfoot, now opens seamlessly onto a courtyard with shower, a handy amenity as the owners move between the study and the surf.
Built-in desk in Woodmatt in Angora Oak from Polytec with a Karakter ‘Principal’ chair by Bodil Kjær from Cult. On shelving includes bowl and ceramic rings by Samantha Torrisi, mushroom object from The DEA Store, lamp by Milly Dent, artwork by Alexandra Plim and burnt work by Dior Mahnken. Walls in Porter’s Paints ‘Interno’ in Camelback.
