Curves by the beach; there's everything to love about the look of the latest project by design studio The Designory. Curves may fall in and out of fashion in the sartorial world, but they remain a persistent design trend in some of Australia's most beautiful homes, and they're central to this new Byron Bay project.
Adding drama, natural flow and grace to the built environment, curves have weaved their way into our living spaces and home exteriors for a few years now. And then there were those rather major design eras before that - think Art Deco and the style known as P&O.
Within Samudra House, curves guide you and "wrap you up", revealing the outdoors and adding cohesion. Interior curves ensured nature was part of the design, framing a giant gum tree and forming a central void above the dining table that draws the eye.
"When we first bought the property and were looking at developing the existing house, we sat on the balcony with the owner at the time and had a cup of tea. We looked right into the lemon-scented gum, where about 50 lorikeets were sitting. It was magical. We wanted to have the tree inspire the design of the house," says Melissa Bonney, who is co-founder of The Designory.
A testament to the power of curves is the lower level of the home. With the soft curl of ocean waves in mind, the kitchen flows from the open plan entrance, living and dining room. Bathed in natural light and warm tones, the space is surrounded by the garden and entertaining deck. Above the dining room sits the vast curved feature void.
"[The curve] feels like it wraps around you. That void was created to draw that tree into the interior and wrap the view around that tree," says Melissa. "The oversized bespoke timber windows capture its beauty and draws in the northern sun and spectacular amber sunsets."
There are no sharp edges in terms of balustrades, and Melissa says she created a kind of viewing platform to the tree from the top level. "[There is a skylight] and when you stand on the landing you look up and see the leaves of the tree. I love it."
Curves play a vital role in biophilic design, which aims to integrate nature into our built environment. The Designory used a product called CSR Gyprock Flexible to create the interior curves of this new abode. "[Flexible gyprock] helped us create some incredible key features throughout the home," says Melissa. The flexible boards are designed to bend for small radius curves enabling unique shapes for feature walls and ceilings.
"I really believe curves are about balance in an interior. Margot, my head designer, and I stand in a room and if something is not working, we add a round element. It acts as a balancing mechanism in a space," says Melissa.
Sitting proudly on a quarter-acre corner block of the Vela allotment, in the coveted Golden Grid of Byron Bay, Samudra House was created to be the ideal holiday home. It draws inspiration from the laid-back culture of the area, and, as with other homes created by The Designory team, has a strong focus on light and natural textures and colours throughout each of its sizeable rooms.
The theme of the entire project was "coast", and the design team took inspiration from the Mediterranean as well as the local environment. "Samudra is a holiday house and is inspired by the pristine oceans of Byron's coastline ... The home welcomes visitors with its layers of white textured, rendered surfaces and the warmth of timber," says Melissa.
Nature is important in this build and inspires the palette for all three houses in the development. "This house takes reference from its physical place in Byron Bay. The sandy tones through the home, and there's an Australian feel even though there's this Mediterranean inspiration."