MANLY HOME BY C+M STUDIOS

February 10th, 2014

Approached by the clients prior to purchasing, C+M Studio were asked whether or not they thought they would be able to transform the outdated, dark, rabbit warren apartment into a sophisticated yet relaxed coastal home. The client wanted to produce a home “worthy of magazines”, and the designers thought that given the location and some careful design working with the existing layout and with a curated collection of natural finishes, they would be able to achieve this.

There was a clear brief from the client outlining the spaces they wished to create. Given their large visiting family there was a need for inviting living spaces for entertaining, a big kitchen at the heart of the apartment, a rumpus room and guest room to house grandchildren, as well as a long dining table for family dinners. C+M Studio saw this as an opportunity to juxtapose the warm open living spaces with smaller, more tranquil private space.

This was achieved by some clever engineering, removing the majority of existing walls and craning in a number of large steel beams so as to lengthen the spans and create an open, free-flowing living and dining space. This contrast with the private spaces was explored through the use of the curved Mafi timber feature wall, in which doors leading to the private spaces were hidden, flush with the finished face of the wall. Separation between public and private is accented by the depth of the wall, creating a strong transition zone between the two. Care was also taken with the doors to the other private spaces, including the master suite, and utility room, to make them disappear into the walls, by using full height pivot doors, painted to match the wall.

The balance between elegance and warmth was achieved through the use of natural materials, both in the finishes, with the Mafi timber, Sisal carpet, Carrara marble, and honed Beechwood stone, as well as the linens, felts, leathers, and furs used in the furnishing. Unable to lay timber boards on the floor, due to body corporate requirements, C+M Studio decided they would place them on the wall, and using the pre-grooved Mafi boards they were able to wrap around the curves of the wall.

The wall became the focus of the project, and is the major source of warmth and texture in the space. The designers were able to spread this throughout the apartment through the use of the board on the joinery in the kitchen, master robe, bed head, and en suite. The open design of the en suite, enclosed only by a Simple Studio sheer curtain, as used throughout the project to add privacy and soften the spaces, was initially a point of contention with the client, however after time spent in the boutique hotels of South East Asia, they were happy to move forward with an open plan master suite design.

Once complete, the designers were able to complement the architecture and finishes with furnishings; the pieces include a mixture of modern Australian design pieces from Jardan, and Cameron Foggo, as well as design classics from Living Edge, such as the Eames classic lounge chair.

The finish product is exactly what the client had asked for: a simple, beautiful, unique coastal home, with the perfect balance of open, public, and tranquil, private space.