The new harbourside house, Brazilian subtropical Modernist in style, presented a number of challenges on the interior design front. The brief was for a comfortable family home that would also lend itself to a range of entertaining possibilities, from the glamorous to the more casual. Additionally, while grand in scale and open plan in design, the clients wanted the house to feel welcoming and intimate.

Throughout the interior, the approach to colour and texture is bold and unexpected, and furniture choices decidedly eclectic, from contemporary and tailored to retro and whimsical. Various measures were employed to delineate zones within open-plan spaces, including the use of rugs, the style and arrangement of furniture, and the placement of lighting. The result is a house that changes its personality according to mood and purpose, but manages to remain entirely harmonious.