This story originally appeared in Habitus Magazine – find out more and subscribe here.
What started as a rare moment in time – a moment when Studio Doherty were able to take on a furniture-selection-only job – quickly changed shape to become a full-scale renovation, complete with a new pool and garden design. Granted, it started during Covid when a string of projects had been put on hold, but imagine how happy the client would have been to secure such a formidable design force for a bit of a shop!
The client was new to Studio Doherty, but had come to them for new furniture for an Art Deco-era home overlooking the Yarra River. Having previously owned a Victorian terrace in Albert Park (lovely but smaller), the new house required much larger furniture than the terrace-suited-pieces they currently owned. That said, scale is an often-misunderstood equation, with configuration as important as size. Mardi Doherty, founder and director of Studio Doherty, is a designer who gets this right. Effectively treating each space as a three-dimensional puzzle, she has a fearless approach to engaging the whole.
Working with her clients – a couple with teenaged children – a rapport built and with it the brief, which started looking at layout, flow, amenity and light. The primary bedroom, for example, was set amidst a rabbit warren with only one room enjoying the view. Doherty suggested opening the space to create an enfilade of connected rooms where the view would channel from bedroom to robe to ensuite. With large sliding mirrored doors that reflect the Yarra back into the room, the bedroom is now light and open with a Group swivel armchair from Hub in the palest of lilacs. Sliding back the mirrors, the robe takes its cues from high fashion, with a central bespoke credenza flanked by full height wardrobes in pale timber cabinetry. Wallpaper with a pale-on-pale motif was selected for its textile quality. The ensuite follows on from here, with gorgeous green Arcaico border tiles from Artedomus and another mirror bringing the Yarra even further into the home.
“I think it would have been a slightly different project had we had been given the full scope at the start, but I actually love it. The house has had a patchwork of other renovations to it, and I feel like the way that we’ve designed it is like a little patchwork too,” says Doherty. Arguably, this is Doherty being overly modest, as the previous renovations had undone the home’s connection to its Art Deco era, whereas her design studio has brought cohesion to the whole.
Among the many standout elements of Doherty’s design is the furniture. It is a collection of interesting, colourful and sculptural pieces that activate the different spaces, create moods and offer a range of comfort levels. The lounge is delicious. The bright yellow chair and donut mirror is a pairing of genius-level design.
“It’s about reflection and bouncing light from outside to inside. The actual view that it was reflecting wasn’t amazing, but the donut mirror distorts the view and still bounces light,” says Doherty, adding that “it’s a piece I’ve admired for many years, and haven’t had a client brave enough to actually use it in their home.” Well, bravo to her brave client. It is beyond fabulous.
In the same room, a pair of sheepskin chairs (Supellex), a custom sofa (Baxter, Criteria), a vintage chandelier and a really incredible pale pink planter are drawn together as a sort of friendly grouping of interesting friends. The wall of art has a similar feeling of disparate pieces working harmoniously. The pink Troy Emery sculpture is a visual delight (Martin Browne Contemporary), as is the large vessel by Alexandra Standen (This Is No Fantasy).
Where the mood shifts significantly is the office. Here, the need for a quiet, composed room has been answered with a large custom desk, ample light and a simple round table with very interesting chairs from In Good Company. Custom joinery is light and designed for ample storage, with a book display area incorporated.
Related: The Pond Retreat by Biotope
Creating visual cohesion to what was essentially a bit of a mashup of renovations, does not necessitate a complete rebuild. “The scope really evolved as we started, so it ended up being that we touched almost every room in the house, but working within the existing footprint,” says Doherty. To this end, the floors have been re-sanded to a uniform tone, walls and ceilings painted and details refreshed.
As a case in point, the kitchen has been brought in line with the new aesthetic with a splashback of tiles and the introduction of a large Japanese lamp. “Generally, with a low ceiling height we wouldn’t add a pendant light. But it has this beautiful, amazing glow at night, and really draws your eye upwards,” shares Doherty.
As the project evolved so did the scope and Mud Office was brought in as collaborators for the very impressive swimming pool and garden design. Sinuous and deep green, the pool is lagoon-like and expansive with large areas for lounging. The above ground design and perimeter fence answers regulatory fencing needs with a seemingly unencumbered pool.
The custom barbecue design by Mud Office is the equivalent of an outdoor kitchen, with Smeraldo quartzite, and it is fabulous. “A lot of clients will think of the barbecue as something very separate to their kitchen. But this family use the barbecue a lot for general cooking throughout the week. And the client asked, ‘Why is the barbecue just this stainless-steel little UFO in the back of the house?’” says Doherty who “leaned into this”, with her team. It’s the same stone used elsewhere in the house, but – as is Doherty’s won’t – there is a burst of colour and form introduced via Allié stools from Origine that makes it completely charming.
Then there is the bespoke credenza by Joel Elliot in deep pink. In fact, each room has its own character or piece that defines it, yet each room sits comfortably with its neighbour. Perhaps Doherty is right in calling it a patchwork, but if so, it is one of incredible tonal complexity and one where the pattern never blurs or becomes a repetition. Rather, it is a joyous and gorgeous cohesion of lovely, lovely things.
