With its sleek, smooth facade and symmetrical steel-framed windows, one glance at this home in the trendy Armadale neighborhood is enough to Melbourne thinking it’s a new build. In reality, he is thirty, a fact now forgotten thanks to the interior designer Lauren Tarrant. The house had good bones and a functional layout, but the decorative details and baseboards were unimpressive, so Lauren pared it down to the shell, simplifying the finishes and fixtures and favoring a biscuit-colored natural travertine.
Its oversized proportions begin upon entry, which opens into a welcoming space that “immediately creates a sense of luxury and grandeur,” says Lauren. Tucked into a corner, the studio was painted dusty green and fitted with a honey-colored wooden desk by local designers MCM House. The exposed stairs in the atrium were closed and replaced by a sculptural banister made of Venetian plaster. The sophisticated dining room is set around a generous gallery entrance and is clad in luxurious milky Vagli marble. The adjacent living room is equally understated, with a sleek new stone fireplace framed by Anna Charlesworth “Fan” sconces. Underfoot, the floorboards in natural oak Chevrons soften the color palette.
The client, a hospitality heir and friend of Lauren’s, had very clear ideas regarding the meals and the cooking area. Lauren inverted and expanded the space, integrating appliances and reorganizing the kitchen to meet ergonomic standards a cooking cooking. To minimize clutter, he added a recessed stone plinth to the island to create the illusion that it is floating. In open living room, the elegant wrought iron wall was balanced with as many light and neutral pieces of furniture as a sand-colored sisal rug. The neutral background helps bring out the woodwork, “making it the focal point of the home,” explains Lauren, referring to the closet in the master bedroom. Even in the bathrooms, the pink marble slabs are balanced with cashew-colored stones. The pop of pink was a fun introduction. “It adds atmosphere and romance.”
