Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Belle

EDITORIAL Editor-in-chief Tanya Buchanan Creative director Lauren Camilleri Art director Shayne Burton Deputy editor Hannah James Senior copy editor Deborah Grant Stylist, Homes Sophie Wilson Contributing editors Steve Cordony (Style director-at-large), Karen McCartney (Architecture), Kirstie Clements (Luxe Files), Judy Pascoe (Library), Carli Philips (Melbourne), Harry Roberts (Art), Jean Wright (Design) EDITORIAL OFFICE GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 1028 Tel (02) 9282 8000, email: belle@aremedia.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Sharyn Cairns, Lisa Cohen, Claire Delmar, Sean Fennessy, David Flack, Joseph Gardner, David Harrison, Stephanie Hope, Alana Landsberry, Olga Lewis, Madeline McFarlane, Jack Milenkovic, Tess Newman-Morris, Tim O’Connor, Eliza O’Hare, Chris Pearson, Luca Proserpio, Prue Ruscoe, Philip Sinden, Anson Smart, Fiona Susanto, Alicia Taylor, Lillie Thompson, Sue Wallace, Travis Walton, Dave Wheeler ADVERTISING Head of Commercial, Home & Lifestyle Rhyl Heavener Commercial brand manager…

IT’S RARE TO BE only minutes into an architect interview and talking about curtains. But when I learn that Mary Ellen Hudson has studied fashion and textiles and curates the interiors of her projects, it all makes sense. In my research, I noticed some distinct drapes in two of her projects, precisely because they were not the usual sweep of neutral linen. “Those curtains are a mixture of hemp and recycled saris, which gives this heavily textured feel combined with hints of brilliant colour,” Mary Ellen explains. “A sense of layering has always been important to me, combining textures and playing with tactility, softness and colour.” Take Clovelly House in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, which is both monolithic and organic in form. “I think circulation is key to any successful space;…

THE NATIONAL EMERGING ART PRIZE (NEAP) returns to The Garden Gallery for its fifth edition this October, presenting a dazzling and diverse collection of original works from a gifted cohort of up-and-coming artists. Garnering a record number of submissions, this year’s awards program introduced an all-new category for emerging photographers, reinforcing NEAP’s promise to spotlight and celebrate the country’s next wave of contemporary art talent. Curated by an expert panel of leading contemporary artists and cultural luminaries – led by NEAP co-founder Amber Creswell Bell – the finalists’ survey at The Garden Gallery is an essential destination for art lovers, collectors and talent spotters to experience and acquire work by artists on the cusp of breakout success. NEAP has been a launch pad for numerous artists who are now among…

Housed within a new low-rise tower in the centre of Sydney’s Cronulla, the level-six penthouse office of Modus Projects co-founders Troy Mayne and Brad Berryman is a collaborative and social hive of creativity. Jeremy Bull, Matthew Grand and Alice Noguès of Alexander &CO were tasked with the fitout, an undertaking that involved successfully merging corporate efficiency with residential comfort. WHAT WAS THE CONCEPT? Troy Mayne: The idea was to create a bespoke, high-end workplace that feels more like a luxury residence than a traditional office. The layout was intentionally designed to balance open, collaborative areas with private, quiet zones, ensuring the office supports both dynamic teamwork and focused individual work. It’s a workplace that doesn’t just house a business but represents our values, culture and ambition at the very highest…

THE FASHION AND DESIGN WORLD is in mourning following the passing of Giorgio Armani in September, aged 91. He was one of the world’s most influential designers, lauded for his sense of elegant restraint, with a signature that was synonymous for Italian style and has remained relevant for 50 years. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of his eponymous house, which was founded in 1975 in Milan by Giorgio and his business and life partner, Sergio Galeotti. He presented chic, unstructured fashion, easy, fluid power suiting (with shoulder pads removed) in luxury fabrications and a low-burn, muted colour palette. Thanks to the sexy charm of a topless Richard Gere laying out his Armani wardrobe in the 1980 film, American Gigolo, Armani became a global success, hooking both Hollywood and…

It’s been a busy few years for cabinetmaker and Cabinetti Panels owner Mark Mastroianni. Since launching his premium range of natural timber and engineered veneers to the Australian market in 2022, Mark has ticked off a number of impressive milestones to cement Cabinetti’s status as a leading supplier of quality surfaces. “One of the most rewarding experiences has been seeing our panels chosen by leading architects and interior designers,” says Mark, who lists Greg Natale, Fe Design and Revel Design as repeat customers. “It’s a real vote of confidence in our product and our philosophy.” Based on aesthetics alone, the intricate patterns and tactile nature of the Cabinetti panels are hard to pass up. The Milled collection features the natural beauty of solid timber in a range of ridged profiles,…

Call it a skate ramp, a ski slope or even a surfer’s delight – the roof of Avalon’s famous ‘Wave House’ defies traditional construction with its fluid form. The sculptural house has been much buzzed about since the late 1980s when it was built, the dramatic design elevating it to icon status. “All the Northern Beaches locals know it,” says Morgan Reid of Alexandra Kidd Interior Design (AK.ID), who had driven past many times and was lucky enough to be the lead designer on its recent renovation, alongside design principal Alexandra Kidd. “When I told people I was working on it, everyone said, ‘Oh, that house!’” The owners recognised the building’s design significance from the outset and wanted to honour its legacy while converting it into a home that was…

A rare architectural alchemy occurs when site, house, owner and architect align in deeply meaningful ways. Babylon House, perched on an escarpment on Sydney’s northern beaches, is such a case – its spectacular 280-degree water views, ancient rock shelves and towering angophoras creating a naturally dramatic stage. Built between 1952 and 1958 by architect Edwin Kingsbury, the original house was a bohemian experiment; majestic curved four-metre stone walls in single-skin masonry and a bowstring truss in the ceiling expressed with tectonic simplicity were bold propositions of their time. For Fiona Spence and Morris Lyda, buying the house was a matter of timing. “It was on the market for years – it waited for us,” says Fiona. When they arrived, they felt an energy beyond the visual. “Magic,” she calls it.…

To illustrate the desired aesthetic for her new home, Carla Barton’s client took the interior designer to the Dior boutique in Sydney’s CBD. “Dior is her favourite fashion house,” Carla explains, “and she wanted her home to convey some of the same sophistication and softness that Dior so elegantly portrays.” “I wanted a Parisian look,” affirms the owner, “with high ceilings and detailing but with a modern take.” The home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs is a new build with seven bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms constructed in the Georgian style. Spread over three levels on a large block of land with a pool and two-car garage, it is home to a family that includes four young children and two live-in nannies, as well as providing accommodation for grandparents who visit from…

IDA READERS’ CHOICE VOTE NOW TO WIN! SELECT YOUR FAVOURITE RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR FOR YOUR CHANCE TO RECEIVE A COLLECTION OF WORLD-CLASS BIRD IN HAND WINES. HOMESTOLOVE.COM.AU/ READERSCHOICE2025 Welcome to the November issue of Belle. I love this time of year – apart from switching into turbo mode, as many of the creatives and design businesses we work with host launches or parties, Belle is also involved in multiple award programs. It is always an exciting time to see the reveal of fresh projects or incredible undertakings we have heard about – many that have been years in the making. There are loads of logistics in this business and every hold-up is unique! We are delighted to reveal the finalists of the Belle/Fanuli Interior Design Awards for 2025 (page 83), a…

Artist Antonia Mrljak set up Studio Six Zero Two with a few peers who were all looking for the same thing: a generous space that allowed for serious practice but still had a strong sense of community. “My paintings are quite large, and I need to move between them as they evolve,” she explains. “I wanted to create an environment that was professional and communal at the same time – to share costs, resources and energy with artists who work at a similar scale and pace.” When Antonia first moved there in 2019, only a small part of the studio was available but later, after moving elsewhere for a time, the entire space was offered to her. A fan of its high ceilings, generous wall spaces, huge warehouse windows and…

WILD ESCAPE IN DONESIA A NEW RESORT IN THE INDONESIAN JUNGLE OFFERS AN UNRIVALLED EXPERIENCE FOR CURIOUS TRAVELLERS. STAND ON SECLUDED, JUNGLE-FRINGED Nihiwatu Beach on east Indonesia’s mystical Sumba Island and the magic of its untamed wilderness soon takes hold. Just a 50-minute flight from Bali, the much-awarded NIHI Sumba – named number one in Indonesia last year and the best hotel in the world for two consecutive years – is all about barefoot understated luxury, wellness and the Sumbanese people. The one-hour scenic drive from the airport passes small villages, waving school children, grazing water buffalo and colourful bustling markets selling dried fish, chilli peppers, tobacco and betel nuts. Far-reaching coastal views heighten arrival anticipation, but nothing prepares me for the first panoramic glimpse from the hillside, where a…

Maximalism and minimalism make alluring, if unlikely, partners in this handsome Sydney penthouse. Its elevation from the smart to the spectacular reflects an attraction of opposites. Acclaimed architect Adam Haddow of SJB shaped the pared-back concrete shell for him and his partner in 2017, over which designer David Flack of Flack Studio has liberally layered bold brushstrokes of colour, texture and pattern, all tinged with his well-known whimsy. Completing the creative quartet are the new owners, Peter and Coco, keen to push the boundaries and embrace what they call “the full Flack experience”. Peter and Coco were living a world away, in an 1860s French-provincial-style home in suburban Balmain, when they spied the award-winning CBD apartment in the press. Smitten, the couple approached Adam, asking, “Can you design something like…

CREATING A WORK for the National Gallery of Victoria’s annual collaboration with Mecca celebrating women in design was an unexpectedly transformative process for Nipa Doshi. “It came at just the right time for me,” says the East London-based, Mumbai-born designer who, with partner Jonathan Levien, opened award-winning design studio Doshi Levien in 2000. “I wanted to do work that embodied my values as a human being and as a woman. When you’re working in a very Eurocentric, masculine design environment, there isn’t always room to express women’s histories and stories.” That’s just what she did with A Room of My Own, her work for the Mecca x NGV Women in Design Commission, currently on display at the NGV. Functioning as both a dressing table and a kind of shrine, it’s…

A LOVE OF DESIGN has always been firmly ingrained in Monica Armani’s DNA. She’s the daughter of well-known architect Marcello Armani, whose rationalist influence can be seen throughout the northern Italian town of Trento, where Monica was raised. She learnt the ropes working by his side, soaking up his diligent commitment to detail and strong sense of place. Today, Monica is an established contemporary designer in her own right, producing innovative collections for international brands with her business and life partner, Luca Dallabetta. Recently, the duo’s designs formed part of a new outdoor collection showcased at B&B Italia’s first-ever outdoor showroom, which opened in collaboration with Space furniture in Sydney’s Surry Hills. “The collection was born from the desire to bring the same refinement of indoor spaces into the open…

Tamsin Johnson is known for her unique talent for mixing tactile materials and antiques to alchemise a space. Somewhere between eclecticism and modern classic, Tamsin’s signature style has found its place in a new studio located in Sydney’s Paddington. Sprawled across two levels, there’s a furniture showroom open to the public on street level, while the upper floor contains an open-plan loft space reserved for the lauded designer and her team. TELL US ABOUT YOUR STYLE I find it difficult to be concise when it comes to my approach, partly because I react differently to different spaces – sometimes shifting my emphasis in doing so. Perhaps an overarching characteristic of my work is ‘freshness’, whether that’s in the sense of play, colour or lightness. In many instances, my use of…

DESIGN REIMAGINED Corey Damen Jenkins’s second book following Design Remix is, to quote the designer, “a tome filled with bold, colourful interiors, but also meaningful life lessons I’ve picked up throughout my career”. The New York-based creative is adept at putting a new spin on traditional rooms and bringing a youthful exuberance to his projects. Each chapter heading is enticing, perfectly encapsulating his fresh ethos. Corey Damen Jenkins, Rizzoli, $120 CREATING A NEW HOME IN MALLORCA Danish designer Malene Birger has an unerring eye for style and beauty and her makeover of an 18th-century house in Mallorca, chronicled in a just-released book, is nothing short of captivating. The extensive property was close to derelict when she purchased it and the transformation is a joy to behold – not to mention…

An avid lover and collector of all things patterned and colourful, Heidi Martin – the daughter of rug purveyor Robyn Cosgrove – has built a cosy home in Sydney for her family of six. The rooms are layered with artworks, meaningful objects and, of course, rugs. “I could say pattern is in my DNA,” says Heidi, who studied interior design and textile design at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York. WHAT APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT YOUR HOME WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT? Growing up, I would walk to school with three girlfriends and, on the way, we would always walk past this large corner terrace. I always wanted to live in that house – it talked to me, I suppose. While living in Singapore I saw the same…

With its hand-crafted timbers, sliding walls and textured mats, this Zen retreat is the inspired creation of architect Jorge Hrdina, a confessed Japanophile who fell in love with this enlightened style of building on a visit to the Land of the Rising Sun. Who would have thought that such a sense of calm could pervade a home poised over the mercurial NSW Central Coast? Part of the secret is that it has two sides – one scans the ocean while the leeward side embraces a cosy courtyard and bushland views. From a weekender down the road, the owners had long eyed up the property, which sits on a sand dune 20 metres above the beach and was at the time occupied by a ho-hum project home. In 2016, it came…

With its glamorous rooms, sweeping staircase and masonry portico, this grand Neo-Georgian property in Melbourne’s southeast possesses an assured feeling of permanence, proudly owning its spectacular site as if it has always been there. But don’t be fooled – it’s three years new, with timeless design and hand-crafted detailing belying its youth. Drawing from the classic vernacular typical of the area, the three-level, five-bedroom home seems tailormade for the location – north-facing and overlooking the Yarra River, a rare and prized commodity in Melbourne. But when the owners discovered the waterfront block in 2016, the existing house was adrift. “We found the property after a long search,” says the owner. “With its frontage and glorious northern aspect, it was the kind of place where the sun lingers and trees frame…

With flexibility and connectivity at its heart, The Commons brings a new level of sophistication to the co-working space. For its latest hub at 39 Martin Place in Sydney, Mark Simpson and Damien Mulvihill of Melbourne’s DesignOffice have delivered a layout that combines premium facilities in a heritage location. “In recent years, the diversity of spaces that The Commons provides for its members has expanded, and it’s a journey we love being part of,” says Mark. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE SPACE YOU WERE WORKING WITH? The Commons is located just above Sydney’s Martin Place Metro station, occupying two levels of the new landmark building by Tzannes. Open to the main lobby, it welcomes people from the rest of the building and the wider community. The primary social spaces work like…