Room of the Week: An Open-Plan Space That's a Vision in Blue
Young children and good design go hand-in-hand in this cleverly appointed, open-plan kitchen/living/dining room
Georgia Madden
22 April 2019
In a Q&A format, we talk to the designers – and examine the creative thinking – behind some of Houzz’s most loveable rooms.
Images by James Geer Photography
Answers by Sonia Simpfendorfer, creative director at Nexus Designs
Who lives here: A couple with two young boys
Location: Parkville, Victoria
Room purpose: An open-plan kitchen/living/dining room
Room size: 40.5 square metres in total, including the 18-square-metre living room
Answers by Sonia Simpfendorfer, creative director at Nexus Designs
Who lives here: A couple with two young boys
Location: Parkville, Victoria
Room purpose: An open-plan kitchen/living/dining room
Room size: 40.5 square metres in total, including the 18-square-metre living room
Brief
The clients asked for an interior that was simple, functional and suitable for a young family, but one that didn’t compromise their appreciation and respect for good design principles. Use of space was to be maximised here – every millimetre counted.
The clients asked for an interior that was simple, functional and suitable for a young family, but one that didn’t compromise their appreciation and respect for good design principles. Use of space was to be maximised here – every millimetre counted.
The floor plan after works
Starting point
The architects, Pleysier Perkins, brilliantly transformed the back areas of a dark and crowded Victorian terrace into a light-filled, outward-focused, contemporary house. A key element was retaining the brick wall that is seen in the kitchen splashback and is the backdrop for the living room. It added a textural element and a sense of history that brought great warmth to the interior without fuss.
The architects, Pleysier Perkins, brilliantly transformed the back areas of a dark and crowded Victorian terrace into a light-filled, outward-focused, contemporary house. A key element was retaining the brick wall that is seen in the kitchen splashback and is the backdrop for the living room. It added a textural element and a sense of history that brought great warmth to the interior without fuss.
What exactly did you do?
We worked with the architects and clients to review the storage set-up and some of the joinery elements, adding even more discreet storage where possible. The next layer of the interior was the selection of all the loose furniture items including upholstered furniture, lamps, custom rugs, tables and chairs.
We also introduced the two sculptural, blue Arflex storage elements to the living space. The lower one is for toy storage, the upper one is for books and other objects.
We worked with the architects and clients to review the storage set-up and some of the joinery elements, adding even more discreet storage where possible. The next layer of the interior was the selection of all the loose furniture items including upholstered furniture, lamps, custom rugs, tables and chairs.
We also introduced the two sculptural, blue Arflex storage elements to the living space. The lower one is for toy storage, the upper one is for books and other objects.
Colour palette
The base palette consists of concrete floors, white walls, and a combination of natural oak and dark-stained timber.
The palette was repeated in the living space in the concrete-grey tone in the custom rug, with an over-scale aubergine houndstooth pattern adding extra punch.
A family of blues, – from light blue to navy – were selected across the joinery, sofas and chairs, while the meals table provides a contrast in crisp white.
What made you choose this colour palette?
The blues reference the interior’s now-strong connection to the sky – not a feature in the previous Victorian-era configuration of the house. The purples in the rug and scatter cushions add some unexpected depth and an abstract Jacarandah reference.
The base palette consists of concrete floors, white walls, and a combination of natural oak and dark-stained timber.
The palette was repeated in the living space in the concrete-grey tone in the custom rug, with an over-scale aubergine houndstooth pattern adding extra punch.
A family of blues, – from light blue to navy – were selected across the joinery, sofas and chairs, while the meals table provides a contrast in crisp white.
What made you choose this colour palette?
The blues reference the interior’s now-strong connection to the sky – not a feature in the previous Victorian-era configuration of the house. The purples in the rug and scatter cushions add some unexpected depth and an abstract Jacarandah reference.
What was your thinking behind the arrangement of furniture and fixtures?
We selected this round dining table because it’s easy to move around and smooths the flow of traffic through the space. It also looks good with just the family’s chairs or can accommodate more chairs when friends come over.
The Tufty-Too sofa was chosen for its welcoming, relaxed appearance, and the fact it could be used to create a semi-enclosed play zone without blocking the view through to the backyard.
We custom-designed the rug, trialling it a few times before getting the right grey tone for the base, which links to the concrete floor. The oversize houndstooth pattern is a playful reference to classic suiting motifs and the owners’ corporate lives.
The blue Arflex Hillside joinery units do three important things:
We selected this round dining table because it’s easy to move around and smooths the flow of traffic through the space. It also looks good with just the family’s chairs or can accommodate more chairs when friends come over.
The Tufty-Too sofa was chosen for its welcoming, relaxed appearance, and the fact it could be used to create a semi-enclosed play zone without blocking the view through to the backyard.
We custom-designed the rug, trialling it a few times before getting the right grey tone for the base, which links to the concrete floor. The oversize houndstooth pattern is a playful reference to classic suiting motifs and the owners’ corporate lives.
The blue Arflex Hillside joinery units do three important things:
- Function: The lower element is for storing toys. This room is the primary living space in the house so it needed to allow for the children’s activities during the day, but easily convert to a clutter-free, relaxation space for the adults at night. The upper joinery is for storing books and precious objects out of reach of small hands.
- Colour: The two shades of blue introduce a feeling of happiness and optimism in an otherwise fairly restrained space.
- Directionality: The architect manipulated the space beautifully to optimise natural light and a connection to the sky and backyard. We were very careful not to break the visual flow to the outside, and the placement of these joinery units enhances the architectural intention.
What challenges did you work around?
Most of our clients have children and also come to us for a high level of design resolution. This is a daily challenge for us – making sure things work really well, while looking fantastic and using well-designed furniture and classic pieces in non-precious ways. Our clients don’t want to have to wait for the children to grow up to have furniture they love and that meets their aesthetic brief.
Here, the key was also to maintain the sense of openness, so we kept the rug and sofa low and grounded, allowing the volume of the space to be unimpeded.
Most of our clients have children and also come to us for a high level of design resolution. This is a daily challenge for us – making sure things work really well, while looking fantastic and using well-designed furniture and classic pieces in non-precious ways. Our clients don’t want to have to wait for the children to grow up to have furniture they love and that meets their aesthetic brief.
Here, the key was also to maintain the sense of openness, so we kept the rug and sofa low and grounded, allowing the volume of the space to be unimpeded.
Materials palette:
Key pieces of furniture/fittings:
- Burnish-finished and sealed concrete floor.
- Artedomus Elba Marble benchtop.
- Eveneer timber-veneer upper kitchen cupboards in Evenromano.
- Eveneer timber-veneer lower kitchen cupboards in Evenraven.
- Clear glass splashback.
- Dulux Whisper White walls.
Key pieces of furniture/fittings:
- Space Furniture Moooi Container meals table.
- Stylecraft Home Arper Catifa chairs.
- B&B Italia Tufty-Too sofa in navy with contrasting grey stitching.
- Space Furniture B&B Italia Frank side table.
- Poliform Arflex Hillside joinery units in light blue and brilliant blue.
- Euroluce Flos Taccia table lamp.
- Euroluce Flos Illuminator floor lamp.
- Whitecliffe Imports custom wool rug.
Why do you think this room works?
We used restraint and didn’t overcrowd it. While the pieces themselves are quite powerful, there is still plenty of breathing room. Working with respect for the architectural vision was also key to the success of the space.
Tell us
Do you love this architectural space as much as we do? Tell us your favourite elements in the Comments below, save the images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want more interior design inspiration? Read last week’s Room of the Week: An Elegant Ensuite With Exquisite Detailing
We used restraint and didn’t overcrowd it. While the pieces themselves are quite powerful, there is still plenty of breathing room. Working with respect for the architectural vision was also key to the success of the space.
Tell us
Do you love this architectural space as much as we do? Tell us your favourite elements in the Comments below, save the images, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Want more interior design inspiration? Read last week’s Room of the Week: An Elegant Ensuite With Exquisite Detailing
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Well done. Love it. My apartment similar configuration and have been hesitant to do the big sofa but works wonderfully here. Keeping low keeps the bulk of the sofa from intruding. Have been wrestling with table design too. And looks like round and light works well with the sofa. Love all the detail given re furniture, paint and floor plan etc. Very helpful