We kicked off our original launch last August with a serious dream home (of which has been plastered all over Insta), so it only felt fitting to debut our new look with an equally extraordinary home for our first tour. Alexander &CO. was at the design helm and crafted every square foot of this Palm Beach holiday home with the utmost excellence. You might notice that the ceilings have a little something in common with that dream home mentioned above… striking aren’t they? When you begin to bounce from room to room you’ll soon notice this collection of spaces was meant for seamless and sophisticated entertaining, all while keeping a completely unfussy vibe.
With styling by Claire Delmar and Felix Forest behind the lens, we’re serving up the best of the best with this masterpiece today. Get an inside look at the styling and goals for this Australian abode in our mini interview with the Alexander &CO. team below.
Can you tell us a bit about the style of this home?
Palm Beach House is the transformation of an existing waterfront holiday villa in Palm Beach, Sydney. The project is a restrained approach to a traditional European vernacular, exploring bespoke quality detailing, materiality and architectural framing.
With the existing house ineffectively dealing with scale limitations, the brief was primarily to explore how we could reintroduce a higher quality of spatial resolution. The plans and volumes were subsequently rationalised around better circulation, view corridors and access to the water.
Emphasis was placed on architectural framing and the suitable transition from interior to exterior. The garden was refined, designed with proportion in mind in order to achieve a sense of privacy as well as maximize use of amenities for the client.
While full of sophistication, this home is truly laid back and livable. How did you achieve this?
The large-scale opening explored opportunity for external living and dining areas, an integral aspect to the client brief addressing the need for entertaining spaces, essential for a ‘home away from home’.
The house is focused upon the ‘handmade’; fittings, finishes, lighting and claddings all express an artisan reference point. The paired back interiors, subdued palette and handmade quality create a ‘lived in’ atmosphere for the client, an important element for them to experience a sense of place and history.
This space was definitely made for entertaining! How did you carry that vibe into the outdoor space?
The dwelling, pushed back from the water’s edge, presented challenges, due to this lack of physical connection that was evident in neighboring properties. The core idea focused on neutralizing the exterior in a way that fits in with the landscape to avoid detracting from the beauty of the surrounding context. A contemporary and minimalist approach for the garden allowed for the view to become the main focus.
Through the exploration, we were successful at creating an open space that spills out onto the outdoor garden allows for this connection between the building and waterfront. The design of the home as a holiday house meant that the open plan living space and garden were to become the central focus, as entertaining and hosting guests is a regular activity. Subsequent thresholds and vistas between the inside, the balconies/courtyard and the exterior provided the ability to open up out onto the garden area in such a way as to assist the need for flexibility.
