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

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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
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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

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Ramsgate House in North Bondi by Common Office

Ramsgate House by Sydney-based practice Common Office was born from a brief with two seemingly competing demands: that the home feel deeply connected to its location in Bondi, while also serving as a private, intimate retreat for a young family. The site's proximity to one of Australia's most popular beaches became the project's defining design parameter.

Balancing domestic privacy with its public surroundings, the project is the result of a complex planning process — one that involved multiple applications, modifications, and ongoing negotiations with council. Central to this was making the case that the building was appropriate for its local context, with detailed discussions around the rhythm and number of arches to ensure the best outcome for the streetscape.

The design reinterprets the classical loggia, drawing reference from the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and its history as a ubiquitous architectural tool spanning classical antiquity to modernism. A series of arches establishes a thickened, inhabitable threshold between the streetscape of North Bondi and the interior.

“We conceptualised the home as situated somewhere between Bondi and Miami,” notes the practice. “We wanted to portray a sense of street-facing ornament that was simultaneously pared back to speak an Art Deco language.”

The building is constructed using traditional double — and in some instances, triple-skin — brick. Along the primary facade, the arches are formed naturally through the masonry, functioning as load-bearing structural elements. They frame views, light, and quiet moments of occupation, mediating visibility between the house and the public realm. The loggia operates as an intermediate condition, offering shade and spatial depth while responding to the climatic demands of the coastal setting.

Internally, the curved geometry of the arch unfolds into a sinuous four-storey stairwell that draws natural light through the house. This vertical sequence culminates in a copper-clad pavilion at the upper level — a space for gathering and entertaining, with elevated eastern views toward the beach and ocean. The copper cladding is designed to be dynamic, shifting in texture and appearance as it weathers over time.

To the rear, the arched motif reappears, framing articulated steel windows within a stucco facade. Northern light fills a double-height living area that opens onto a pool and garden planted with native species.

Designed in collaboration with Handelsman + Khaw, the interiors amplify the spatial and atmospheric qualities of the architecture through a carefully calibrated palette of muted, sun-washed finishes, selected for their durability and responsiveness to the coastal climate.

Photography: Anson Smart

The project incorporates passive environmental strategies through deep reveals and thickened thresholds, which mitigate solar gain and reduce overheating. Native planting supports the local ecological context, while the spatial configuration promotes natural light and ventilation throughout.

Ramsgate House is ultimately a study in mediation — between public and private, inside and out, the enduring language of classical architecture and the demands of contemporary coastal living.

Credits

Architect: Common Office  

Project Team: Rob Meyerson, Lead Architect; William J McKee, Lead Architect; Michael Cho, Project Designer; Manuel Hankoo, Graduate Architect

Builder: Ivison Constructions

Structural Engineer: ABVD

Services Engineer: ERBAS

Project Manager: Richard Pajor, Cardo Projects

Interior Designer: Handelsman + Khaw

Planner: GSA Planning

Landscape: Myles Baldwin Design

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