Pied-à-Terre by Smac Studio

There is a particular kind of home that feels entirely and unmistakably like its owner. Pied-à-Terre in Woollahra, Sydney, is one of those. Designed by Smac Studio for a well-travelled, retired lawyer with a love of deep greens, aubergine tones, and a lifetime of beautiful collected objects, the result is a home that is serene and considered, yet full of personality and warmth.

The house itself has a meaningful history. Designed in 2000 by the late architect Ercole Palazzetti – a close friend of the owner's – it carries clear Italian influences that feel present throughout. "It feels quite meaningful living in something that connects back to that friendship," says Gina, the owner. "I really wish I could show him what I've done with the space now."

Originally a dark, inward-facing 1990s build, the home presented both challenge and opportunity. Smac Studio principal Shona McElroy made a series of small but considered interventions to the layout that make a big difference to daily living and entertaining. Most significantly, this involved relocating the kitchen from a tucked-away U-shaped corner to a central island position that now faces the garden. The fireplace was repositioned too, better defining the dining and living zones.

"This house feels Parisian in a way I've always been drawn to," says McElroy. "It uses space cleverly and is a perfect reflection of the client. It really belongs to her."

The colour palette, defined by olive green and aubergine, was drawn directly from Gina's love of her garden and her travels. Olive green appears in the kitchen stone, living room cabinetry, ensuite, and the custom media room couch, while aubergine runs through the checkerboard entry floor, the guest bathroom, and powder room. The wall colour, a green-toned shade that Gina initially hesitated over when she saw the word "grey" in its name, turned out to reflect the tones of the stone beautifully.

At the heart of the home, the kitchen is anchored by a deep green leathered granite – a slab Gina spotted the moment she walked into the stone warehouse. "I took one look and said, 'That's it.'" The same stone appears on the splashback and fireplace mantle, giving the ground floor a warm and textural cohesion. A mirrored finish on the splashback bounces the garden's greenery back into the room, keeping Gina connected to the outside even while cooking.

Always strong on creating distinct landing areas that welcome and set the mood, Smac Studio created an entrance that sets the tone from the moment you arrive. Generously sized and layered with character, it features an aubergine and white checkerboard marble floor, a curvy wave rattan console, and a sunburst mirror – a pairing Gina admits she wouldn't have landed on alone. "That's one of the perks of working with an interior designer," she says. "They can see combinations you wouldn't try yourself."

The powder room, small but full of presence, became one of the project's most joyful moments. Just before painting was due to begin, Gina emailed McElroy to suggest wallpaper instead. William Morris was chosen, its aubergine tones tying back to the broader palette, paired with a checkerboard marble floor and a curvy white stone vanity. "It's definitely a luxury moment," says Gina. "Little but full of personality."

As a self-confessed maximalist with collections of bottles, teapots, shells, and photographs gathered from years of travel, Gina needed the design to help her declutter. Smac Studio responded by simplifying the joinery and purposely reducing shelving, ensuring only the most special pieces earn their place on display. "I find it really difficult, it's not in my nature," Gina admits. "But it's made a real difference."

Throughout the home, a number of pieces were sourced at auction, adding individuality to each room. A Christophe Delcourt coffee table and a mid-century bar cart from Melbourne – 1950s, with delicate feet, curved lines, and crystal glasses inherited from Gina's mother and uncle – elevate the living room with a sense of history. Three mirrors were won in a single night of online bidding, including the sunburst at the entrance, after Gina placed bids and went to bed assuming she'd be lucky to win one.

"The house feels like a little haven," says Gina. "It's calm but still full of personality. At first I worried that bringing in a designer might make it feel impersonal – but instead it feels entirely like me."

Credits

Interior Design: Smac Studio

Principal of Smac Studio: Shona McElroy

Styling: Jack Milenkovic

Photography: Dave Wheeler

VIEW STORY

A Sydney home Revisited by Carter Williamson Architects

Good architecture leaves room for life to happen. Brise Soleil was designed by Sydney-based Carter Williamson in 2009 and revisited by the same practice more than fifteen years later, not to start over, but to evolve.

The home had been well lived in. Its voids still carried light through the plan. Its robust exterior still held firm against the street. What had shifted was life itself. The owners didn't want to leave. The question became how the house might change with them.

The insertion of a lift within the internal courtyard quietly reshaped the plan. What began as an accessibility intervention prompted a broader reconsideration of how the home was navigated and used. The kitchen moved. Pathways widened. Thresholds softened. The ground floor became more generous, more fluid, more attuned to ease — a reimagining of daily living without the erasure of what came before.

Yet the defining qualities of the original design remain. Light continues to fall through the voids, animating walls and floors throughout the day. What has changed is tone. Where the interiors were once restrained, warm timber joinery and a richer material palette now introduce tactility and depth, making the contrast between robust exterior and intimate interior more pronounced than ever.

The kitchen was redesigned to support accessibility without sacrificing conviviality. Bespoke cabinetry and carefully resolved joinery ensure that the rhythms of daily life continue seamlessly, maintaining its social heart.

Brise Soleil is not a reinvention. It is an evolution. A house that has matured alongside its occupants, and proof that architecture designed with care can absorb change without losing its identity.

Credits 

⁠Architecture and Interior Design: Carter Williamson Architects

Styling: Claire Delmar

Photography: Pablo Veiga⁠

Build: SFN Build

VIEW STORY

Dune House by Waechter Architecture

Located along the northern Oregon Coast, Dune House by Portland-based Waechter Architecture balances sensitivity to landscape and building traditions with a timeless, iconic form. The house is inspired by the surrounding dunes and seagrass, that stretch between the last line of houses and the open tidal areas of the beach. Its rugged, unadorned cedar shingle exterior and quiet white oak interior create a serene, meditative retreat that shows deep respect for its windswept setting.

Simple in plan and designed to blend seamlessly with the dunes, the home's weathering cedar shingles are one of the most prevalent building materials in the region. A modern take on the classic shingled beach cottage, the rough-textured exterior is paired with a restrained interior palette of oak flooring and panelling, with minimal trim, giving the building a calm, carved, and monolithic presence.

A streamlined floor plan centres around a skylit interior courtyard, with interiors shaped by light and coastal conditions. The multi-purpose space is framed by two private bedroom suites, and a kitchen and dining alcove. From the bedrooms and primary living spaces, framed views of the coastal dunescape create an ideal setting for rest and contemplation. Embracing simplicity through clean lines and sculptural form, Dune House is a retreat from everyday distractions — a space for reconnection with the elements and the simple rituals of living.

Styling by Karie Higgins Studio with Shop Wilma
Photography by Pablo Enriquez
⁠⁠

VIEW STORY

Pine Island Cottage by Bureau Tempo & Thom Fougere

Nestled on a secluded island in the heart of Georgian Bay, Ontario, Pine Island Cottage is a serene family getaway that blends seamlessly into its natural surroundings. With interiors designed by Bureau Tempo and Thom Fougere Studio, the cottage unfolds as a series of gathering spaces that cascade gently along the island's sloped stone formations.

The design is rooted in a simple but compelling idea, that the kind of friction we experience outdoors — a rough stone underfoot, some unexpected rain — is what draws us into the present moment. That same tactile quality runs through the interior, from the texture of the wood-grain walls to the grip of flamed stone underfoot in the shower, grounding you in the space and enriching every exchange with it. As Fougere explains, "When visiting the site early on with the family, we spent time walking alongside the mottled, stone-covered beach by the water. Translating that tactile experience into the interior in unexpected ways became a guiding goal — it often came down to finding the minimum touch with the maximum impact."

Guests arrive to a pebble-shaped oak door handle and are led into a low, gently lit, oak-lined entryway. From here, the space gradually opens as floors terrace downward, the ceiling height rises, and the material palette lightens, revealing the main living area below.

At the heart of the home, the kitchen is anchored by a fieldstone island that evokes the feeling of casual gatherings on rocky shores. Complete with a pantry, bar and breakfast nook, the custom cabinetry is crafted in white oak, walnut, and limestone, with every detail carefully considered down to the ceramics, cookware, cutlery, and linens. The pantry has been reimagined as a functional, market-style space with produce and food on full display, while custom trays allow for easy transport of ingredients, coffees, and cocktails to and from the adjacent pewter bar. For Thom Fougere, the kitchen island became a focal point of the entire design process: "It became not only an experiment with materiality, but also a highly functional element of the kitchen — a ritualised gathering point that emerged from many personal discoveries alongside the client and site-specific cues."

Beyond the kitchen, a custom timber dining table and bench overlook a sunken living room with a bespoke walnut sofa and integrated stair. The double-sided hearth, framed by the same fieldstone as the kitchen island, sits at the centre of the cottage's circulation, warming both the interior and the screened outdoor porch.

Lighting is deliberately restrained, kept low and warm, drawing out the richness of each material. As Adam Robinson of Bureau Tempo explains, "We did not want to disturb the serenity of the darkness on the island — how finishes would feel when very dimly lit was paramount in selecting materials." Throughout the cottage, custom-cast wall sconces and wrought-iron handrails crafted by a local blacksmith create a tactile rhythm that ties the spaces together.

The bedroom wings connect to the main living area via a glazed, elevated breezeway. A guest bedroom and children's room with bunk beds sit on one side, while a private office and primary bedroom with ensuite occupy the other. A shift in materials — from concrete to wood to locally sourced Eramosa stone — marks the transition through the cottage, with the stone floor flamed to create a weathered, timeworn appearance underfoot. Robinson notes that this direction was established early: "Conversations about embracing patina and using materials that would age well led to rich material selections and a few unexpected pairings."

The primary bedroom features expansive storage, oak-lined at one end and custom rug-fronted closets suspended on iron frames at the other, softening the room both visually and acoustically. Fieldstone carries through to this space, providing a backdrop to both the bed and vanity. In the ensuite, a custom double-basin stone sink, flamed stone shower floor, and ceramic tub create a warm and unhurried setting for daily rituals.

The result is a beautifully tranquil cottage that feels less designed than discovered — as though the island itself had a hand in every decision.

Photography by Alex Lesage

VIEW STORY