Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2026 i Belle

5 FAB FIVE 1 Women book by Annie Leibovitz, $160, Phaidon. 2 ‘Signal’ bracelet, from $14,000, Hamish Munro. 3 ‘Filature’ bag in cord, Milo lambskin and Barénia calfskin, POA, Hermès. 4 Hidden Portraits: Six Women Who Shaped Picasso book by Sue Roe $49.99, Dymocks. 5 La Prairie ‘Skin Caviar’ Luxe Cream & Skin Sleep Mask gift set, $895, David Jones. Welcome to 2026, everyone – this is the year of calm, collected interiors – Pantone says so, with its announcement that Cloud Dancer will usher us into the new year and beyond, bringing a fresh canvas to build our hopes, dreams and interiors on! We couldn’t think of a better cover to start the year with – a beautifully curated and chic project from a true master, Thomas Hamel. Everyone…

WHEN YOUR GREAT-GRANDFATHER is the late Sir Hans Heysen, arguably Australia’s greatest landscape artist, it’s not surprising that creative industries come calling. For Verity Kizek, née Verity Heysen, that took the form of launching her own homewares brand, Saardé, in 2018 with her husband Shenol. Its success can be measured by the fact that last April, just five months after opening their first bricks-and-mortar store in Sydney, they were opening their second. The Surry Hills flagship, located in the glamorous Wunderlich Lane development, “is all about elevating the customer experience, making them feel special,” says Shenol. The second store, however, had two design constraints. “We’re in a beautiful heritage building, the Rosebery Engine Yards,” he explains. “Our store had to fit the story of the building, but make it softer.”…

AUST RALIA’S LOVE AFFAI R with natural stone shows no signs of abating, and rightly so. With its intricate veining, colour variation and epic durability, each piece of marble, limestone or quartzite is a one-off, giving homeowners and designers the ability to put their own personal stamp on a project. In recognition and celebration of stone’s everlasting appeal, CDK Stone recently opened its new Adelaide Selection Centre in Hindmarsh, with a special preview of the space attended by the local design crowd and special guest, Belle editor-in-chief Tanya Buchanan. With a glass of bubbles in hand, attendees traversed the aisles of monolithic stone sourced from quarries around the world, admiring the intricacies of each slab up close. The sample library resembled a candy store, with stone tiles displayed neatly on…

BYRON BAY AT FIRST BLUSH, THE MOODY, MONOCHROMATIC aesthetic of New York’s Bowery district might seem at odds with the relaxed effortlessness of Byron Bay. One is dark, industrial and urban; the other is all bright and beachy, barefoot chic – but it’s this clever combination that creates the quiet elegance for which boutique hotel The Bower is beloved. Each room is individually styled, but all share the hotel’s signature cool neutral colour palette blending cocooning dark tones with uplifting light ones, making a uniquely relaxing experience for guests. It’s an oasis of calm, set among lush foliage and with a circular magnesium pool at its heart. Opened in 2017 by designer (and former owner) Taliah Lowry, The Bower immediately earned a spot on our must-visit list of luxury design…

It was a meeting of minds when Craig and Jenna Carracher asked Shona McElroy of Smac Studio to give their original Espie Dodds-designed home in Sydney a modern refresh. They loved the clever spatial planning and upscale colour schemes they’d seen in Shona’s previous projects and were keen to see how she would interpret their brief for a fun and livable home made for entertaining. “Jenna and Craig said one of the best lines I have ever heard when we started the project: ‘We want you to be really creative – we’d much rather pull you back than have to push you creatively,’” says Shona. “It seemed like we really had the same thing in mind from the outset.” The original intention was to leave the floor plan largely untouched,…

OUR COVER Photography Mark Roper EDITO R I A L 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 Tom Blachford, Kirsten Stanwix Bookallil, Simon Brown, Alex Drewniak, Sean Fennessy, Tom Ferguson, Josh Fisher, Michael Harry, Stephanie Hope, Corina Koch, Esteban La Tessa, Olga Lewis, Jason Loucas, Ella McCabe Barton, Shannon McGrath, Jack Milenkovic, Megan Morton, Tim O’Connor, Eliza O’Hare, Adam O’Sullivan, Chris Pearson, Elizabeth Renkert, Mark Roper, Anson Smart, Ethan Smart, Fiona Susanto, Alicia…

FEW STUDIOS IN AUST RALIA balance wit, warmth and rigour quite like Austin Maynard Architects (AM.A). Known for projects that celebrate individuality, they’ve built a body of work that is as inventive as it is human. From homes designed to evolve over a lifetime to urban communities that foster connection, the practice – led by Andrew Maynard and Mark Austin – continues to expand ideas around what thoughtful, sustainable architecture can be. Andrew is an irreverent communicator, taking architecture to a broader audience through Archimarathon, his YouTube series cohosted with the delightfully deadpan Kevin Hui. Yet when it comes to clients, AM.A’s strength lies not in performance but in listening – both to people and to place – with the aim of unlocking possibility. “We spend a lot of time…

1 Hermès Spring 2026. 2 ‘SL 795 Joe‘ sunglasses, $755, Saint Laurent. 3 Tapered tie in Silk Satin, $465, Saint Laurent. 4 Cashmere ribbed-knit cardigan, $7500, Prada. 5 Vilhelm Parfumerie ‘Sun Cities’ cologne, $484 for 100ml, Mecca. 6 Hermès: Straight From the Horse’s Mouth book by Luc and Alice Charbin, $40, Hermès. 7 ‘Hugo Vera’ sofa chair in Sunkissed, $2690, GlobeWest. 8 Buckle suede bag with belt in Cocoa Brown, $11,000, Prada. 9 Baccarat ‘Eye’ oval vase, $3445, Palmer & Penn. 10 Rachel Donath x Coco Republic ‘Cromwell’ Solitaire set in Travertine, $695, Coco Republic. 11 Terra Vessel artwork by Kate Dolan, $5800, Michael Reid. 12 Gerald Charles ‘Masterlink 2H’ watch, approx. $40,811, Mr Porter. 13 Hay ‘Mousqueton’ portable lamp, $389, The Montauk Lighting Co.…

TIFFANY HAS ITS FAMOUS BLUE, and so does Yves Klein. Glossy steakhouse Grill Americano now sports the dining equivalent, with an electric shade of cobalt running through its new outpost in Sydney’s financial heartland. “It’s a fine line doing blue in a restaurant and making it look regal yet contemporary, but that’s what we wanted to achieve,” says Samantha Eades, principal designer at Mitchell & Eades, who led the transformation. “We had a real deliberation on the exact shade.” The 130-seat venue is the latest venture from Lucas Collective, the Melbourne dining empire run by Chris Lucas, whose portfolio includes perennial hotspot Chin Chin and flash newcomers Society and Maison Bâtard. It brings new life to the heritage-listed modernist tower formerly known as Qantas House at 1 Chifley Square, which…

OVERLOOKING SYDNEY’S ELIZABETH BAY, interior designer Alexandra Kidd’s home speaks to a life well lived and a bright, family-filled future ahead. With the first apartment that she shared with her husband at its base and a new light-filled glass pavilion on top, the finished home is her “most personal project to date”, Alexandra declares. How did you come to choose this site? My connection to this site runs deep. My husband Ian originally owned the apartment, and it’s where we began our life together in 2005, marking the start of our shared journey in design and home-making. Our attachment to this place only grew stronger over time, culminating in a major transformation in 2021, when we purchased the airspace above and completed an ambitious second renovation, adding an entire top…

LOCATED IN A PRIME SPOT across the road from Clarkes Beach in Byron Bay, this two-bedroom, first-floor holiday home was snapped up by designer Tamsin Johnson, who renovated it and visits with her family as often as possible. What is the project and what made it attractive to you? The Lawson Street apartment came onto the market and we quickly bought it. The 1980s build was attractive in its modernist layout, a very simple and pure footprint to work with. It is a modest size and perfect as a little vacationer for our family of four. It looks over the bay and we can walk straight out the front onto Clarkes Beach with only Lawson Street itself to cross. It has a great lock-up-and-leave ability, so a weekend visit isn’t…

This expansive, multi-generational family home in inner Melbourne is the apotheosis of grace, beauty and warmth. Refashioned by Miriam Fanning, founder and principal of Mim Design, it harmonises a contemporary ethos with the heritage bones of a 1920s house, with spaces offering the inhabitants an elevated way of living. Introduced to the clients by Lonsdale Building Group, Miriam relished the opportunity to present a lively design narrative. The owners had lived in the home for more than two decades and now, with the occupants including offspring and grandchildren, it was time for a refresh. “The clients placed complete trust in me,” she says. “It was wonderful to be able to run with an idea, deliver it and see what it could mean to them, how they live their lives and…

The starting point was a piece of property with a natural ridge, a dramatically long driveway, a gasp-worthy view over the lush, rolling hinterland to the big blue of Lennox Head, and a soft sea breeze. It was clear that this place, all 60 spectacular hectares of it, was worthy of a special home. The new owners knew it and accepted the responsibility of finding the right collaborators for their building; after all, choosing the right people for the job is half the challenge in any project. For this, they chose architect Polly Harbison for the structure and creative director Danielle McEwan, founder of Tigmi, for the interiors. What ensued was the making of a modern monastery in the hills – a calm place that the owners, a Sydney-based couple,…

Acclaimed Australian architect Walter Barda has been designing beautiful buildings since the 1980s. His clients are an elite group of repeat customers who, once initiated into his world of luxurious calm, find it very hard to pull themselves away from his Zen spaces. He’s an Australian design master, really. No wonder clients want to name their houses after him. His latest project is a three-storey house on a battleaxe block sitting on the highest point of Sydney’s prestigious Bellevue Hill. It’s an open house in every sense of the word, with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding exterior doors on every level. But for all its exposure points, it’s actually a very private compound that looks in on itself – unless you’re standing upstairs in the main bedroom, where a gobsmacking view…

Evocative of Tuscan and Puglian villas, this three-bedroom home in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges slowly reveals its secrets. Strikingly, the grey street facade is windowless, giving little clue to treasures hinted at by pine-cone urns atop the rendered walls. “Not having windows on a facade creates a sense of mystery and privacy. It enables the building to read sculpturally,” says its designer, David Hicks. “We also have a penchant for concealing a home’s entry.” Though the entrance is teasingly tucked away, what a first impression it makes, with its Ceppo marble flooring, intricate wall mouldings, vintage Murano ruched-glass chandelier and mid-century Vittorio Dassi table. It’s the beginning of a journey through the home that culminates in a light-filled open plan, where French doors, reprised along that facade, lead to a secluded…

This Dover Heights property was a classic case of “worst house on the best street”, says interior designer Sara Horvath, founder and director of Sydney-based Studio George. Completely unsalvageable, it was swiftly knocked down by architect Jeremy Rooz of Rooz + Rooz Design and then reconceptualised as a family home with a nod to Ibizan architecture – a form the clients felt great proclivity towards. Inspired by their regular travels to the Spanish Balearic island, the couple’s brief was for a home that adopted similar aesthetic values: whitewashed walls, flat roofs, heavyset arched openings, tumbled limestone flooring in a French pattern, built-in seating and timber-beamed ceilings. “As we went for hard surfaces like silver travertine and Caesarstone, the use of timber balanced everything out and softened the space,” Sara explains.…

1 ADAM GOODRUM X BRICKWORKS 2 EREDE 3 ROGER VIVIER 4 DINOSAUR DESIGNS 5 SCANLAN & THEODORE 6 LIBRARY180 7 WESTWOOD I KAWAKUBO AT THE NGV 8 TECHNOGYM 9 COMME DES GARÇONS POCKET SHOP 10 PANTONE 11 SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY 12 PARAMART 13 CHANEL 1 Adam Goodrum brings his signature restraint to ‘Kite Breeze’, a new collection for Brickworks. Inspired by geometric art and a childhood fascination with breeze blocks, the range is both sculptural and quietly expressive. brickworks.com.au 2 Balancing precise geometry with organic beauty, the ‘Valence’ jewellery box from Erede is the perfect vessel for treasured possessions. eredeofficial.com 3 Fancy footwork is Roger Vivier’s famous footprint and these ‘Rose Vivier’ pumps will have you striding into the new year. netaporter.com 4 Forty years in any business is big…

ONE OF THE MOST prominent trends to emerge from the recent Spring-Summer 2026 ready-to-wear shows was luxurious leathers in both clothing and accessories. It’s a somewhat surprising option for summer fashion season, given our planet of rising temperatures and longer summers, but the impeccable craftsmanship of the leading fashion houses means that the leather is as soft as butter, as fine as silk and as comfortable as a pair of well-worn jeans. Leather is, of course, a decor perennial. Clubby leather lounges are always a good idea in one of three options: squishy tan, smooth and modular chocolate, or starkly sleek and black. In her much-lauded debut show last September for Bottega Veneta, creative director Louise Trotter sent out the house’s famous signature ‘intrecciato’ woven nappa leather, not only in…

1 Cashmere rug in Wheat, $6200, Tigmi. 2 ‘High Jewelry’ necklace in White Gold, POA, Cartier. 3 Cable-knit jumper in Camel, $259, Ralph Lauren. 4 Sportmax leather skirt in Bordeaux, $1495, Max Mara. 5 Matiere Premiere ‘Radical Rose’ extrait, $599 for 100ml, Libertine Parfumerie. 6 Rachel Donath x Coco Republic ’Sierra’ table, $1895, Coco Republic. 7 Cashmere scarf in Beige, $925, Loewe. 8 ‘Patchouli’ candle, $495, Dolce & Gabbana. 9 ‘BC-25’ belt in Taurillon leather, $750, Celine. 10 ‘Pearce’ desk, $3105, GlobeWest. 11 ‘Barletta’ ottoman in Avignon Velvet Cocoa, $545, GlobeWest. 12 Triangle-frame slingback pumps, $800, Scanlan Theodore. 13 Mini ‘Flamenco’ clutch in Nappa Calfskin, $3800, Loewe. 14 Max Mara Fall 2025. 15 Ralph Lauren ‘Garner’ lamp, $2890, The Montauk Lighting Co. FILM STILLS: FOXTEL/BINGE…

FLORENCE THE BELMOND HOTEL GROUP HAS JUST LAUNCHED ITS METICULOUSLY RENOVATED VILLA SAN MICHELE IN THE HILLS OF FIESOLE. A FACADE BY THE SCHOOL OF MICHELANGELO signals entry to a world of art, architecture, contemporary luxury and wellness at Villa San Michele. Reimagined over 18 months, the former monastery has three new signature suites with suggestive names – Limonaia, The Grand Tour and Botanica – and its first-ever spa, a Guerlain-filled heaven also offering an indulgent range of wellness activities. The fine-dining experience is led by executive chef Alessandro Cozzolino, who favours regional ingredients, and the hotel’s gardens give guests every reason to stay local themselves. An aperitif on the terrace as the sun sets? Why not! belmond.com WORDS: DEBORAH GRANT. PHOTOGRAPHY: FRANÇOIS HALARD (TERRACE)…

A HIGHLY TAILORED DESIGN RESPONSE was required for this Melbourne penthouse and David Hicks was the perfect creative for the job. He loved its exceptional sense of space and natural light, along with its industrial elegance: New York-style windows, exposed steel and original details. How did you become involved with the project? The client had secured the apartment as a raw shell, offering the rare opportunity to design without constraint. They were familiar with our work, having seen other residences we’d completed within the building, and were drawn to the level of detail and refinement. The brief was to build on that language – to craft something distinctive, elevated and deeply personal for them. What was the brief for the interiors? To create a generous, light-filled, inner-city home with five…

Entering this beguiling four-bedroom home in Melbourne’s inner southeast is like being whisked away on a magic carpet. The front door itself, which appears black until the light reveals its exotic deep-purple nuances, hints at many bespoke surprises beyond. “Our inspirations spanned from Kyoto to Marrakech, Paris to Positano, central and northeast Asia to Eastern Europe, with touches of Australia – and, remarkably, all these influences speak beautifully to each other,” says the much-travelled owner, who has also lived on several continents. That multilingual dialogue springs from the design dexterity of interior designers Thomas Hamel and Kirsty McElroy, both of Thomas Hamel & Associates, and Christopher Doyle of Christopher Doyle Architects. The couple bought the Italianate-style home for themselves and their two children, now teenagers, in 2017. “The beautiful Victorian…

For three decades, interior designer Marylou Sobel has curated a life and home rooted in enduring elegance, layered style, and a personal narrative that unfolds with every room. Her Sydney residence, known as The Collected Home, stands as both an archive and a canvas: a testament to sophisticated restraint, quietly confident curation and familial warmth. From the moment you step through the arched entrance, a double-volume hallway crowned with natural light welcomes with grandeur yet intimacy, a microcosm of the home’s tone. It is this balance – luxury and comfort, tradition and eclecticism, exuberance and calm – that has long defined Marylou’s work and her own domestic haven. Originally conceived as a modest single-storey brick house, the residence evolved with the rhythm of Marylou’s growing family. The addition of a…

181 WILLIAM STREET CHAMBERS BY KENNEDY NOLAN CHALLENGES THE NOTION OF STUFFY LAW OFFICES. LEGAL CHAMBERS AREN’T USUALLY associated with bold colour and affability, but they’re not all designed by Kennedy Nolan. Patrick Kennedy, principal at Kennedy Nolan, shares the firm’s approach. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE WORKSPACE? 181 William Street Chambers is a new criminal barristers’ chambers in the Melbourne CBD. Our approach was to soften the corporate edge of conventional legal environments, to step away from the familiar projection of the law as being expensive, prestigious and stuffy, and to make a space which could provide calm, softness and even a sense of refuge. WHAT APPEALED TO YOU ABOUT THE PROJECT? The group of barristers who approached us were interested in making an environment distinct from the conventional…