A casually sophisticated home with a connection to the outdoors

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Justine Hugh-Jones and Katrina Mackintosh of Sydney design studio 
Hugh-Jones Mackintosh were engaged to revamp this family home on the 
lower North Shore and provide a better connection between indoors and out.

Combining the owner’s two passions, cooking and the garden, was the driving force in the revamp of this family home on Sydney’s lower North Shore by Justine Hugh-Jones and Katrina Mackintosh of Hugh-Jones Mackintosh. Faced with a fairly bland house with no remarkable features, the designers set out to create a contemporary home with an ambience of pared-back luxury and a coherent flow between indoors and out.

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A thoughtfully decorated space at the end of the hallway comprises a vintage chest of drawers and a pair of cane-backed chairs from The Vault Sydney. Artwork by Robert Malherbe. Kasthall rug from Space. Murano vase from Conley & Co.

The house was set well back on the generous-sized block, but movement around and in and out of the house was restricted and rooms were unconnected. The position of the swimming pool added further to the problems as the outdoor area at the back of the house could only be accessed via the pool enclosure.

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In the casual living area, USM sideboard from Anibou. Giorgetti sofa from Space with cushions from Studio ALM. Yellow cushions from Ascraft. Cane coffee table and rug, both from Cassina.
On table, Bitossi vases from Hub and figures from The Vault Sydney. Curtains by Simple Studio. Artwork by Leila Jeffreys from Olsen Gallery.

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Artwork in joinery by Emma Walker from Arthouse Gallery. Apparatus sconces from Criteria. Bespoke stools by Hugh-Jones Mackintosh upholstered in Neisha Crosland fabric. Busnelli armchairs from Studio ALM.

“Everything was very locked in and confined,” says Justine, “so we had to create a good flow to allow the house to function better and connect with the garden.” With the owner’s love of cooking he wanted the house to revolve around entertaining and lifestyle. An outdoor pizza oven and Argentinian parrilla grill had to be factored in as well as an enlarged indoor ‘gourmet’ kitchen with “all the bells and whistles”, says Katrina.

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The kitchen was designed to satisfy a keen cook. Cappellini ‘Hi Pad’ stools from Cult. Artworks by Jim Moody from Amber Creswell Bell. Stone benchtop from SNB Stone.

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Emmemobili ‘UFO’ dining table is attended by Gubi ‘Beetle’ chairs from Cult upholstered in Kvadrat ‘Coda’. Kasthall rug from Space. Apparatus ‘Cloud’ chandelier from Criteria.

The two-year project saw the house completely gutted and re-created with a welcome new personality. Shingles, wider eaves, upgraded windows and doors, metal balustrading and lashings of white paint have given the exterior new life and context within the expansive garden, replanted with lush specimens by Richard Unsworth of Garden Life.

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Pots and plants at the kitchen door from Garden Life.

But it is the connection between the house and the outdoors that has been the most significant change. Resiting the swimming pool and reshaping it to a long, narrow lap pool provided more space for outdoor living and ease of circulation around the property. No fewer than three distinct [outdoor living spaces]( have been added, ringing the house with entertaining and recreation opportunities.

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One of the outdoor living areas is located near the pizza oven and enjoys filtered water views. Table from Robert Plumb with Roda outdoor chairs from Domo. Pots and plants from Garden Life.

One is off the kitchen/dining, another adjoins the formal living room and the third is adjacent to the family room, and they have been luxuriously finished with underfloor heating, an outdoor fireplace and retractable roof making it truly a home for all seasons – and for all types of eating, with the pizza oven and parrilla in constant use.

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Custom laundry joinery by Hugh-Jones Mackintosh. Miele appliances from Winning Appliances.

The family likes to breakfast on the eastern terrace off the kitchen with its filtered water views. Later in the day, they gravitate to the outdoor sitting area off the formal living room to enjoy lounging before the fire while the keen cook works his magic in the indoor or outside kitchen. Then the long dining table near the parrilla is waiting to host convivial lunches and dinners, with the retractable roof admitting abundant sunshine in winter or providing shade on hot days.

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The powder room has a vintage mirror from Angelucci 20th Century and a vanity designed by Hugh-Jones Mackintosh. Wall tiles are Aït Manos from Onsite.

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Bespoke ottoman and rug by Hugh-Jones Mackintosh sits beneath an artwork by Leisl Mott from Amber Creswell Bell. Wall light from Becker Minty.

Designed as carefully as the interior, the finishes in these alfresco spaces reflect their usage, with flooring in Moroccan terracotta tiles in a herringbone pattern with inlaid glazing leading into timber decking around the pool. “It’s very soft and textural underfoot,” says Justine. It is certainly a very practical and liveable family home. “And with all the heating and the outdoor fireplace it’s very open even in winter,” she adds.

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The guest bedroom is lined in Phillip Jeffries wallpaper from The Textile Company. Hugh-Jones Mackintosh-designed bedhead with bed linen from Hale Mercantile Co. Hay side chair from Cult. Bespoke joinery with MadeMeasure handles. Mirror is vintage. Lamp from Becker Minty. Floors are in Mafi timber.

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The main bedroom has a B&B Italia bed and bedside tables from Space, with lamps from Becker Minty. Bed linen from Hale Mercantile Co. with throw from Ondene and cushions from Ascraft. Curtains by Simple Studio. Rug from Cadrys. Artwork by Leila Jeffreys from Olsen Gallery.

Inside the house, the ground floor is casually open plan – “there are not a lot of closed doors”, says Justine – apart from the newly added study and guest bedroom which is accessed through a hidden door in the wall panelling. Upstairs, approached via the tactile new plaster-finished stair, the space has been completely reconfigured to allow for a spectacular master suite with water views, walk-in robe and generous ensuite, while the three teenagers’ bedrooms have been replanned and revamped, and extra bathrooms and storage carved out of the existing floor space.

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The study has a Poltrona Frau desk chair from Cult and a rug from Cadrys. ‘Spanish’ armchair from Great Dane. ClassiCon floor lamp from Anibou. Artworks by Emma Walker and Robert Malherbe. Bird painting from owner’s collection.

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In the master robe is a chair from Douglas and Bec.

New furnishings were selected throughout with the owner charging the designers to “do what it takes”. “He was very open to design suggestions,” says Justine. “He just wanted to make it special and to look amazing.”

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The ensuite bathroom has stone from SNB Stone and custom mirrors by Hugh-Jones Mackintosh. Apparatus pendant light from Criteria. Curtains by Simple Studio.

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Brass fittings add a shine to the shower. Aït Manos tiles from Onsite.

Dubbed the ‘Greenhouse’ by the designers, the palette reflects the importance of nature in the home’s DNA, and includes natural materials such as cane, timber and marble, enlivened by textural fabrics, beautiful lighting and expressive art. Though the spaces are modest in size, Hugh-Jones Mackintosh have created a real feeling of luxury and openness, helped in no small part by the easy flow to the surrounding lush garden.

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The back entrance to the home is furnished with a Sika Design cane sofa from Domo and a vintage Bonacina cane stool. Cushions from Kulchi. Vintage Italian wall lights. Moroccan herringbone tiles from Bisanna and glazed inlay tiles from Onsite.

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The pool was resited and reshaped to allow better circulation around the house. Butterfly chairs from Les Interieurs. Table from Robert Plumb. Garden design by Garden Life.

“Connecting the indoors to the outdoors is what Australian design is all about,” says Justine. “And I think that’s what we did best in this house.” hughjonesmackintosh.com; gardenlife.com.au