Homes

A Home Of Luxury And Layers

Today’s home has some SERIOUS wow factor. As we scrolled through the images, a murmur rippled through the office, as whispers of ‘couch’, ‘art’, ‘staircase’ were heard at increasingly excitable levels!  The luxury property is home to developer Bear Agushi, his wife Popi, children Romy (10) and Andreas (7), and their cavoodle Sox.

Bear credits the success of this unfolding Armadale home to the collaborative nature of its design and construction – it’s the work of esteemed architects Workroom, with interior decoration and styling by Simone Haag, and was built by Bear’s construction company, Agushi. Dream team!

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
Supported by Dulux

The slick family home of developer Bear Agushi, wife Popi and children Romy and Andreas. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

A corner of the master bedroom. Rug from Loom. Side table, lamp and credenza all sourced by stylist and designer Simone Haag, whose aim was to specify pieces never before seen in Melbourne. Mission accomplished! Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

The grand staircase. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Dark finishes and sharp lines create a luxurious, moody feeling in the house. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Looking into the ground level from the garden. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Indoor jungle! Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Safari chairs by Carl Hansen from CULT. Moroccan rug sourced by Simone Haag. Artworks by Elle Burguez from Modern Times. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Looking out from the kitchen and dining spaces to (one of the) living and outdoor areas. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Rug from Loom. Candle holder by Tom Dixon from DeDeCe. Table sourced by Simone from Italy! Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

An aerial view of the impressive kitchen bench. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

‘This room was all about having a bit of fun, layering up pattern on pattern and bold colour’, says Simone. Red sofa and cream leather sofa Ligne Roset from DOMO. Marble table designed by Patricia Urquiola. Rug custom-designed by Simone Haag. Dinosaur Designs Small Liquid Moon Side Table. Objects sourced from Italy. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Marble table designed by Patricia Urquiola. Rug custom-designed by Simone Haag. Objects sourced from Italy. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Details of this incredible living space. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Bollo chairs by Fogia from Fred International. Blue Togo sofa Ligne Roset from DOMO. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

A back view of those incredible Bollo chairs by Fogia from Fred International. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Vase from Jardan. Art by Kate Tucker from Daine Singer Gallery. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

The dining space. Cab chairs Cassina from Space Furniture. Giffin Design pendant lights. Wind chime by Agustina Bottoni. Artwork ‘Riven’ by Ian Rayer Smith, purchased from Otomys Gallery. Marble table sourced by Simone from Italy. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Kitchen stools by Opinion Ciatti from Space Furniture. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

A statement artwork, ‘Riven’ by Ian Rayer Smith, purchased from Otomys Gallery. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Richly layered textures. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Now THAT’S a staircase! Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Framed white prints by Stacey Rees from Modern Times (MT Editions). White sculptures by Catherine Tate from Modern Times. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Custom-designed study chairs, objects sourced by Simone in Italy. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

A cool, concrete bathroom. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Bathroom details. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Master bedroom details, featuring artwork ‘Untitled 1’ by Liza Lacroix, purchased from Otomys Gallery. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Custom-designed bed. Rug by Loom. Bed linen from Abode. Side tables and lamps sourced by Simone. Artwork ‘Untitled 1’ by Liza Lacroix, purchased from Otomys Gallery. Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Looking inside from across the pool (as you do). Photo – Derek Swalwell. Styling – Simone Haag.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
31st of July 2018

The luxurious home of Bear Agushi and family is the brilliant result of collaborations from some of the very best in the business! This project combined Bear’s development and construction expertise with architecture and interiors by Workroom Design, and the exacting eye of stylist Simone Haag. The result is a richly layered home, which unfolds to tell an evolving story across the three storey façade, sunken garden and snaking sculptural staircase. (Seriously, that staircase!!)

As a builder and developer, Bear describes how he often comes across sites for sale, but this location sang out with the potential to develop ‘something very beautiful’. Bear jumped at the chance to build his own family home here, and immediately contacted John Bornas, (director of Workroom) – and architect with whom he has a long-standing relationship. For Bear and wife Popi, this pre-existing connection with Workroom meant that ‘the design process was really efficient and super quick.’  From design through to planning, building and finally, move-in day, the completion of this extraordinary project took just 24 months.

Bear provided architect John Bornas with a brief to design a house ‘with a lot of detail, that was masculine in nature but with a feminine undertone to balance it.’ This was realised through considered layering of spaces, materials and spatial arrangements. The unfolding story of the house ‘begins at the front entry, with a fantastic steel stair, and works its way through the hierarchy of spaces revealing them as you walk through’ John describes.

Bear highlights the dual nature of the house, which balances a robust, hard-edged aesthetic with softer, refined finishes and details. When it came to the interior design, the clients’ hoped to achieve an ‘eclectic feel with hints of French influence’ and Bear enthuses, ‘what we would say is Workroom basically read our minds at the beginning of the project and nailed it!’ This is a house with a bold and complex materials palette – combining rich and luxurious finishes with industrial steel, dark panelled walls, raw concrete, bronze time and stone, resulting in a striking contrast.

John particularly highlights the importance of incorporating designer and stylist Simone Haag early on in the process, to give further depth to the layered home. ‘You will see that the language of the objects chosen by Simone sit perfectly within each space. It results in a totally considered home.’

For Bear and Popi, the collaboration between developer, architect and builder has resulted in a dream outcome. Bear cheerfully explains ‘the knowledge and experience that we each have, meant that a process which sometimes can be challenging was seamless, and ended up providing us with a home that is a joy to live in.’ We can only imagine!

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