When you walk in through the arched pink front door of Biscayne, the entrance is immediately transportive. I wanted to create a welcoming feeling that was cocooning, light, bright and breezy, and reflective of the beautifully landscaped entrance that set the Caribbean Colonial mood for the home.
When the beautiful pink arched door opens, you are greeted with a sensory delight. There’s such a playful atmosphere with so much to absorb and inspiring vignettes everywhere you look. Beautiful furniture, layers of texture and tone, artwork, books, collectables, indoor palms and of course, flowers.
The entrance, which was formed by closing in the original veranda, not only added floor space and creates a link from the garage to the interior, it also enabled us to install casement windows to allow the breeze to flow throughout the home.
The Wideboard European Oak flooring (from KWD & Co. in a custom colour called ‘Biscayne’) was beautifully laid by Inspired Floors. Grounding the aesthetic and forming a beautiful foundation for the interior, the dark flooring is in perfect harmony with the white walls, window frames, skirting and architraves, and allowed us to layer texture upon texture, and tone upon tone, to create a rich tapestry of materiality.
To the left of the front door was the original laundry. Being right at the front of the home it was the perfect position to create a powder room.
One of the smallest rooms in a home, a powder room can handle a big personality. It’s the ideal space to have a little fun with, and to express yourself and showcase the style of the house. It’s one of the few rooms in your home that almost every dinner-party guest will visit, and it’s the only one in which they will be all alone and have time to ponder the design effort. A powder room can pack a lot of punch, and you generally try and bring together the key design elements from throughout the home and feature them in this small space. It’s the ideal place to add a bit of drama.
I wanted the Biscayne powder room to have a frivolous and flamboyant personality. We worked with 3D Windows and Doors who created the casement windows in the entrance and the glazing for the living areas, and we decided to add glazing on top of the door as a link to the rest of the entry, and to allow in some extra light. The jewellery for the door is the aged brass door hardware by Domino Architectural Fittings that has a Regency feel, a reference to the style used in Floridian interiors.
One of the design elements that I love most about the powder room is the arched window that we installed, with shutters by Lynch’s Window Fashions. You can see the garden and the light streams in, with privacy as required of course.
The design story of the powder room all started with the antique finish floor tile in two shades of pink, that was so expertly laid in a checkerboard pattern by Henry Master Tiler (Rosso Verona and Straight Cut Marble in Portagallo, both from KWD & Co.). It takes a true craftsman to create magic like this, and the care and attention to detail displayed here is perfection.
As soon as I saw the spectacular Gucci Heron wallpaper, I knew it was perfect for the room. It added the whimsy and again referenced the Regency style of Floridian homes. I am so pleased that we were brave enough to install it, and to paint the ceiling in pink (Dulux Prancer).
We sourced the most stunning Water Monopoly Paris freestanding basin from The English Tapware Company which represents the essence of Regency design, complemented by the Perrin & Rowe brass taps that age beautifully over time. The custom monogrammed towels from Diane Bergeron give the powder room a five star hotel feel, which is exactly the feeling we wanted to create.
The bench top is the most incredible Cosmopolitan Quartzite in a polished finish, from our friends at Gladstones Granite. Mother Nature delivered the perfect shade of pink. And we added glorious jewellery from The Montauk Lighting Co to complete the powder room – a Ralph Lauren flush-mount ceiling light, a Juliette table lamp, and the oh so beautiful Kelly Wearstler wall sconces .
The Biscayne powder room features so many incredible elements that clash and contrast and yet work in harmony. I think it’s the most beautiful room in the home.
PERFECT POWDER ROOM SNAPSHOT:
- Storage is not so important in a powder room, unless it doubles as a guest bathroom.
- Spatial planning plays a major part in creating the perfect powder room.
- Ensure the powder room has a mirror, a candle, a hook for a handbag and a lockable door.
- For those who are not keen to experiment with colour, texture can create warmth.
- Flowers are the perfect finishing touch for a powder, along with a monogram handtowel.
DESIGN TIP:
One of the keys to making a grand entrance is finding the perfect furniture and decorative pieces. Our favourite items were discovered at some of our go-to supply partners: Boyd Blue, Cromwell Australia, Coco Republic and Kellock Pots & Planters. Artwork: Summer’s Absence No.1, No.2 & No.3 by Wayne Pate.
FAVE FIND:
I love the antique Italian brass shield mirror I found at Nicholas & Alastair. Combining pieces from different countries, cultures and ages adds a depth of personality to a room, and this mirror was so perfect for the space.
Images: Armelle Habib / Photo shoot styling: Greenhouse Interiors
A heartfelt thank you to our valued supply partners and trades who helped me bring the vision of Biscayne to life:
| Montique Construction | montiqueconstruction.com |
| Rod Hannah Design | rodhannahandassociates.com.au |
| Reality 3D | reality3d.com.au |
| Plume Studio | plumestudio.com.au |
| Farmers Doors | farmersdoors.com |
| Winning Appliances | winningappliances.com.au |
| Lynch’s Window Fashions | lynchswindowfashions.com.au |
| 3D Windows | 3dwindows.com.au |
| DMA Kitchens | dmakitchens.com.au |
| The Montauk Lighting Co. | montauklightingco.com |
| The English Tapware Company | englishtapware.com.au |
| Domino Architectural Fittings | dominobrass.com.au |
| Laguna Pools | lagunapools.com.au |
| Vogue Grange | voguegrange.com.au |
| The Nursery Co. | thenurseryco.com.au |
| Court Construct | courtconstruct.com.au |
| Gladstones Granite & Marble | gladstonesgranite.com.au |
| Henry Tiler | mastertiling.com.au |
| National Tiles | nationaltiles.com.au |
| Klay Tiles | klaytiles.com.au |
| Fibonacci TBC | fibonaccistone.com.au |
| RMS Natural Stone TBC | rmsnaturalstone.com |
| Direct Stone | directstone.com.au |
| Marble Mosaics | marblemosaics.com.au |
| Hepburn Hardware | hepburnhardware.com.au |
| Lincoln Sentry | lincolnsentry.com.au |
| Bathe | bathe.net.au |
| Carpet World | carpetworld.com.au |
| Inspired Floors | inspiredfloors.com.au |
| Morgan’s Painters and Decorators | morganpd.com.au |
| Boyd Blue | boydblue.com |
| Classic with a Twist | classicwithatwist.com.au |
| Sorrento Furniture | sorrentofurniture.com.au |
| Elliot Clarke | elliotclarke.com.au |
| Cromwell | cromwellaustralia.com.au |
| The Lens Collective | thelenscollective.com.au |
| Edward Pope (artist) | edwardpope.design |
| Red Hill Country Gates | gates.net.au |
| CSR (Gyprock) | csrgyprock.com.au |
| Whelan Airconditioning | whelanair.com.au |
| Gregory Croxford Living | gregorycroxfordliving.com.au |
| Handleworks | handleworks.com.au |