Working in collaboration, NWE. Interior Design and MYMYMY Architecture drew inspiration from diverse influences — their bold and expressive art, furniture and book collection, plus the client’s wardrobe. “To give us a reference point, she said she had a pair of red-wine crepe pants by Erdem and a cashmere sweater with a leopard-skin print in electric blue by Zadig & Voltaire, and Isabel Marant cone heeled studded boots. And those three items were an inspiration to the apartment,” says Nina Exarhos of NWE. Interior Design.
With these elements in mind – along with the client’s affection for India, Singapore and New York – the original Fender Katsalidis apartment’s features were celebrated. The stone and timber veneer in the kitchen and bathrooms, Venetian-rendered ceilings, and the full-height pivot doors provided the framework for the designers to add their own vibrant and rich stamp to the design’s eclectic aesthetics. They aim to ‘inspire and invigorate’ – a rejection of greys and whites to inject colour, with no minimalism in sight.
As they had solid bones to work with, the architect and interior designer decided to complement and contrast. For example, the timber veneer in the kitchen was in good condition, but the built-in fridge needed replacing. They turned to burl veneer as an alternative, giving the apartment a fresh, contemporary life of its own.
“We went for the burl veneer because we wanted to add a pattern and texture,” says MYMYMY director, Mark Brook. “The existing kitchen is in reasonably good condition, but we needed to make some changes. We couldn’t have matched that veneer. So, we did something completely counter to that and put the two together.”
Exarhos adds that these constraints can drive elements of the design into innovative places. Paralleling the kitchen, they invited the burl veneer into the entry joinery. With the deep, velvety red paint backdrop – Dragon’s Eye by Porter – and a bit of ‘glitz’ with the bronze mirror, echoing the bronze hardware in the kitchen.
Repeatedly throughout the apartment, there is an encouragement of the bold. A palette of deep rose, saturated green and blues, for shifting moods between rooms. In the living room, the colourful artwork by Rosemary Valadon is mirrored in the couch and rug for a sense of symmetry and rhythm. The original pink veined marble in the kitchen and bathroom is emulated through the materiality and new colour palette – seamlessly working within the fabric of the existing structure.
In the bedroom, the expressive wallpaper’s pattern, locally sourced from Canberra-based Oat Studio, is repeated on the curtain hiding the exposed glass-walled ensuite. Screening and softening, the bedroom is wrapped in a maximalist spirit. And, throughout the apartment, layered sculptural pendants, wall sconces, and lamps continue the curated effect, complementing the art and furniture.
Related, yet very different: A minimalist apartment by Mr Waller
Of course, a project this bold – and one situated within an apartment block – poses challenges, but it was a success thanks to the collaboration between the designers and their builder, DXT Construction. Raspberry Jam by NWE. Interior Design and MYMYMY showcases that apartments can be whatever they want to be – and definitely not always white.
