Rich jewel tones and contrasting patterns and textures are the backdrop for family treasures in this opulent interior design.
Over time, families mature and grow, tastes change and memories are made. Interior designer and home owner Danielle Scandrett wanted her house to reflect how her family had developed. She saw this as the perfect opportunity to update her home’s interiors to incorporate a luxurious and colourful palette with pieces of furniture and family history that meant a lot to her.
Danielle lives with her husband and 21-year-old son in Melbourne’s exclusive suburb of Brighton. The interior redesign of their family home included new wallpaper, paint, furnishings and window dressings, lighting, new carpet, and re-staining the floorboards a darker colour. The result is a residence with impressive living space in which colours, textures and patterns are expertly combined for a classic and theatrical style imbued with comfort.
The purpose of the work was to “update the interiors and create a more dramatic, colourful and luxurious interior”, according to Danielle. “We wanted to utilise all of the space. We had a formal living room that was never used, located at the front of the home. The intention was to create a space that has the ‘wow’ appeal as soon as you enter the home … and because the room is linked to the dining room by an open arch, it was also very important to create connection and flow with this space as well.”
While shopping at Sydney’s Becker Minty, Danielle came across a pair of Italian hand-carved ceramic heron bird lamps. The exquisite lamps hark back to a bygone era and Danielle says she was inspired by their elegance, drama and glamour. “I instantly fell in love with them and knew that they would be the stepping stone that I needed to create the look I wanted to achieve,” she says.
The matte-black lamps are used in the dining room. To really highlight them with drama and contrast, Danielle chose to set them off against a gold background using a wallpaper finish in Arte Tropical. The textured wallpaper features a slightly raised monstera leaf pattern, reminiscent of the era when heron birds first became popular in home decor.
To counterbalance this brilliant gold feature wall, a dark, navy-grey paint hue was chosen for the remaining walls. “The marriage of these elements was perfect,” says Danielle, adding that she kept the cornicing, architectural detailing and skirtings in white to ensure the look remained crisp and fresh.
The fabric for the dining room drapes brought all of these elements together, combining shades of gold, aubergine and silver. It has a pattern that is almost tribal, which Danielle says worked perfectly with the dark-toned antique Japanese sideboard and rice buckets.
The curve of the oversized lampshades used with the heron lamps complements the oval shape of the room’s mirror that further ties these elements together with its black frame and slight gold inset. The result is a room that has a lavish and opulent style. Adding further drama, a bronze and gold chandelier boldly hangs above the dining table.
The dining chairs are bespoke, created in light-oyster-coloured velvet that matches the silver hues of the drapes. Artwork in darker tones hangs in gilded, detailed frames to complete the room.
The dark-aubergine colour palette is visible as you move into what has become known as the martini room, at the front of the home. Four rich jewel-toned wingback chairs in blue velvet take centre stage in this room. “I love the scale of the chairs,” says Danielle. “They are playful, comfortable and the perfect place to sit, unwind and enjoy.”
Danielle drew inspiration for the patterned rug in this room from a tile pattern that she came across at the Chelsea Design Centre in London. The unique coffee table was a “hip addition”, she says, the oval shape tying in with the mirror of the dining room and finished in a coconut shell. With a matte-gold triangular base, it is a perfect example of the designer’s unique eye for style.
The Moroccan-style side tables were chosen as they conjure happy memories of holiday time spent there. Eight photographs from the trip and other cherished accessories received as gifts, or which have special family significance, also adorn the room.
It’s this family link that Danielle maintains was an important element in her redesign of the home. “It gives a home its personality,” says Danielle. “It was really important to keep our special family treasures on show … I was very pleased that the heart and soul of our family blended so beautifully with the new design.”
more info at daniellescandrettinteriors.com.au
Words Emma Wheaton
Photography Bonnie Hansen
Originally from Home Design Volume 17 Issue 1
