Photography by Felix Forest.

“Figtree House represents a carefully composed balance of past and present, with an approach and tone that respects and acknowledges the original character of formal spaces without rendering them unusable. The transition to new living areas is subtle and uplifting, with a mutual borrowing of old and new.” — Rachel Luchetti, IDEA 2015 Jury

Demonstrating the transformative abilities of carefully curated decorative considerations, the design transforms a beachside Victorian terrace into a home befitting a hip couple with young children and a highly contemporary art collection. Moreover, the spaces evoke different moods while remaining flexible to the needs of a young family. The spaces of the home reflect their purpose – from the composed inky solemnity of the intimate formal zones to the sun bleached lightness of the casual family zones.

A dialogue was nurtured between the grandeur of the beachside home and the relaxed nature of the clients, whereby the formality and inherent seriousness of the home’s stately scale and formal typology are interwoven with curated moments of unexpected human-scale joy and delight for the family.

Importantly, appointing an intimate sense of scale starts with a strong base palette of deep blue, before fading out to a silver grey blue in the hallway and then to a clean white, allowing the home to open out to the casual living and kitchen and, beyond, to the sea. Textural variation is layered to this richness through the use of tonal fabrics, vintage rugs and artisanal elements with tribal legacy and through the soft recurrence of pink.

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