Amidst the vibrant hum of Brisbane’s West End, a gorgeous tri-level home embraces nature within and without. Overlooking Orleigh Park with its stately Moreton Bay fig trees and the winding waters of the Brisbane River, the design of the home fuses the lifestyle of the owners with the essence of contemporary sustainable design.

The owners of the home needed spaces that would provide for a vibrant social life and entertaining friends, as well as nurturing private spaces for resting and functional, inspiring spaces for working from home part of each week.

On the ground floor, open plan kitchen, living and dining is drenched in natural light and flows to the outdoors with its entertaining space and paved pool area. On the upper floor, four bedrooms provide generous private spaces, with the master suite also incorporating a serene sitting area, tea/coffee nook, walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. Three other bathrooms serve the household, and a home office area provides a focused zone for the owners to work from home part of the week.

In the heart of the interior, a grand sweeping staircase connects the ground and upper levels, opening to a gallery-style hallway connecting the private rooms. The master bedroom and the ground floor lounge both have the riverside aspect, with generous balconies to enjoy the views and cooling breezes.

With the westerly aspect of the master bedroom, entry and living areas, ensuring effective insulation from heat while still enabling occupants to enjoy the river views and filtered daylighting was key. Biophilic design approaches were incorporated into the materials selection, the colour palette of the home and interior design flourishes. Tropical plants in eye-catching pots merge the interior with the lush outdoor landscape and views.

“Soft curves, organic shapes and earthy colours, textures and materials were chosen, punctuated by grounding pieces in black.  This palette works perfectly with the existing sandstone flooring throughout and the chocolate brown marble of the large breakfast bar,” explains Rayna McCormick, Owner and Director of Minnie Florence Design.

“Spatial planning was crucial when dealing with a large open plan floor area such as this one. This was achieved through careful placement and selection of furniture pieces in each of the entertaining, dining and entertainment zones, creating an effortless, organic flow.”

On the upper level, the study area is open to the large hallway space with timber flooring, beautiful oversized photographic images of the New Zealand bush and natural light from the open stairway. However, this also meant design needed to mitigate concerns around both privacy and acoustics.

“To address this, acoustic paneling in timber battening, acoustic privacy screens and a deep pile wool floor rug in subtle forest greens creates a space for working that is private, functional and is an integrated, calming part of the biophilic feel of the upper floor,” McCormick says. 

One of the bedrooms has also been designed for a study area, with a desk orientated for views to the garden, plenty of storage and comfortable seating to create a functional, comfortable work from home space.

Managing the harsh Queensland sunlight and heat is essential to provide comfort in a sustainable, energy-efficient way. To provide a beautiful and robust solution, McCormick specified Verosol battery operated motorized Roller blinds with a neutral palette to windows, behind WAVE sheers on motorised tracks. This combination achieves optimal climate control, glare management and ensures privacy.

On street-facing windows, Verosol Trezzini non-transparent, light filtering blinds in Rice colour provide addition insulation, and further boost privacy, while still allowing natural light the master and guest bedrooms selection is Verosol blockout roller blinds in Trezzini Lima create the perfect environment for restful slumber.

Kvadrat Daybreak in a subtle, neutral and textured transparent sheer fabric hang from ceiling to floor, with beautiful full curves enhancing the organic flow of the rooms and offering an aesthetic continuity throughout. In addition, the curtains allow the view beyond to be visible while softening and filtering the light ensuring daytime privacy.

For the bedroom also serving as a workspace, the easterly aspect results in strong sunlight and the need to reduce heat gain. Verosol SilverScreen blinds were installed to block heat and glare from affecting both the owner’s three computer monitors and ensure comfort while working, as the SilverScreen fabric still allows uplifting views of the garden and pool to be seen.

For the dedicated study nook, a decorative pleated blind was chosen, to add visual flair to the space while still ensuring control of sunlight and privacy.

“The combination of both curtains and blinds offers the ultimate control and flexibility for both privacy and light filtering,” McCormick says.

“The selection of product options and specifications available with Verosol meant they were able to respond to the unique challenges of the different areas of the home efficiently and with a beautiful result that perfectly corresponded to the design vision.”

In addition to the aesthetic, privacy and insulation benefits of the Verosol blinds, a smart tech solution was incorporated which allows the owners to control all of the window furnishings via remote control or APP on their phones. This special addition means they can create a unique ambience in every room, to match the mood, the season, time of day or for entertaining. It also provides a practical security solution when travelling, to ensure the home always appears occupied.

“From my experience, following Covid there is a renewed sense of what makes a house a home. The level of personalisation or customisation available across Verosol products means we are elevating clients’ wants to new and higher standard of attainment,” explains Alison Peach, Specification and Account Manager, Verosol QLD. “This project was a lovely representation of what we see happening in the market in terms of trends and functionality”.   

Verosol
verosol.com.au

Minnie Florence Design

minnieflorence.com