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This decadent home in Brighton by interior designers Golden is the perfect mix of moody and opulent – the perfect setting for a family who love to entertain.
‘The client’s lifestyle is social driven, they’ve always enjoyed having an open home and love to host and entertain friends,’ explains co-director of Golden, Alicia McKimm. ‘The brief called for a house that would welcome friends, and also an element of theatre.’ From the very first design meeting the clients wanted a lavish bar in the underground entertainment suite!
The house itself was a completely new build designed by Luke Seidler of Seidler Group, with whom Alicia and her co-director, Kylie Dorotic, worked closely. Inheriting this blank canvas meant the pair of interior designers weren’t working within any pre-existing restrictions, and could create a new thematic design from scratch.
‘We wanted to make a bold, large-scale home feel intimate yet grand,’ says Kylie. ‘Spaces needed to be both emotive and robust, and feel timeless while also having bold gestures of design.’ Textural concrete and charred black timber became the dominant materials throughout the house, offering a sense of restraint, whilst still lending the sense of theatricality desired by the clients. Offsetting these weighty materials are pops of colour and texture found in the furniture and detailing. Mustard lounge suites, shaggy ottomans and swirled, coloured marble all contain the promise of fun.
This balance between statement and subtle features proved critical. ‘We wanted to make sure each space was distinctive without becoming over-designed,’ explains Kylie. ‘The key to this was was developing harmony. If we incorporated a bold design feature in a space, we would then balance it out with pared back materials, colours and tones.’
Alicia and Kylie looked to international hotels as reference points throughout the design – especially when designing the underground bar and entertainment area. This subterranean space continues with the hospitality theme by evoking the atmosphere of a Prohibition-era speakeasy! (Literally what every Melbourne home needs right now!)
See more projects by Golden here.
