For Simone Stainwall and Nathan Theos , the past five years have been a whirlwind of the best kind. In that time, they met and fell in love, started a family, snapped up a prime parcel of land in a bayside suburb of Melbourne and built their dream home. Suffice to say, the busy couple are now cherishing every family moment in their newly completed house and delighting in its clever design.
Behind the curved, rendered wall is a lawn for Nathan and Simone’s two daughters, Ava-Marie and Harper. The front door and cladding are American oak stained with Feast Watson Black Japan.
Harper with Bentley, the family’s six-year-old cavoodle. The curved staircase is one of Martin Friedrich’s signature designs.
“We bought the land in December 2013 after it was passed in at auction,” says Nathan. “I went and made an offer and we got it.” Shortly afterwards, Simone, a lawyer, and Nathan, a director at a building company, went to an open house that architect Martin Friedrich had designed and loved it. “As soon as we walked in, we thought, ‘Wow! That’s exactly the vision we have for our own house,'” Nathan explains. Martin was hired.
White semi-gloss cabinetry rises to the ceiling while black in the appliances, furniture and island bench’s stunning Nero Maquina marble rules at ground level.
Though it’s in a great location close to schools, the beach and a shopping strip, the 427m2 block is an unusual triangular shape that narrows towards the back. The challenge for Martin was designing an expansive family home on it. “We wanted to maximise space and light, so there are large areas of well-oriented glazing,” he says. “We also included a number of outdoor entertaining areas and lush gardens around the house, all designed by COS.”
“We have quite a minimalist style,” says Nathan. To keep things out of sight, there’s custom-built storage on most of the long wall. The Calligaris ‘Tarsio’ extension table and ‘Duffy’ chairs are
from Voyager Interiors. Tom Dixon pendant lights.
PAINT COLOURS + FINISHES
Exterior and interior throughout – Dulux Whisper White
Island bench – Nero Maquina
Flooring – Polished concrete
The large triangles in the artwork by Louise de Weger were the starting point for the room’s colour scheme. Blue plant pot from Rachael Swift Design.
Inside, the sculptural staircase makes a great first impression. As you progress along the hall, the shimmering lap pool is revealed, wrapped around a corner of the living space. There are polished concrete floors, airy open-plan zones and an abundance of concealed storage. The couple love contemporary art so Martin created plenty of wall space for their vibrant collection.
Linen, throw and cushions, from Adairs. Bedside table, from Keeki. Engineered timber boards, from Royal Oak Flooring. Artwork by Michael Bond.
Much of the interior design and styling is by Simone, who surprised herself by really enjoying the process. “With small children [Harper, now four, and one-year-old Ava-Marie], I had to be practical when it came to choosing finishes, but at the same time it was important to go with things we love,” she says.
“I’m very proud of what Simone’s done,” says Nathan. “But that’s not to say we agreed on everything! The hardest thing was trying to bed down the stone and tile selections for the bathrooms – expensive to change if you get that wrong. We’re finished now, but still pinching ourselves as we think back on everything that’s happened.”
