Corner House in Tamarama by Decus Interiors.

Whether a Sydney resident or just visiting, many often seek to find a place by coastal surrounds because of its legendary openness and aquatic hues. For a renowned chef with a published cookbook and her significant other, this is an everyday reality – one that is sculpted into the shorelines of Tamarama Beach. Sydney-based Decus Interiors maintains and emphasises the striking panoramic coastal views in Corner House, a social and vibrant home filled with curves and circular motifs.

Although Decus Interiors, in collaboration with Porebski Architects, designed the Corner House for its previous owner, the team chose to evolve the home interior’s signature design language fit for the new clients by creating a playful narrative that responds to their personalities and lifestyles. The enriched and enlivened space is designed to cater for entertaining multiple friends and family members. Expanding and contracting in response to the number of occupants, informal and formal entertainment areas provide spaces to retreat and come together – like the adaptable sitting space.

As an avid and professional cook, the expansive kitchen extends to the dining and living spaces, which have deliberately been designed to be inviting and flexible. The floor-to-ceiling glazing connects these areas to the balcony while inviting shimmering light and refreshing breeze in.

Responding to the language of the location and the previous design, Decus Interiors commissioned several furniture pieces, including a pebble-shaped ottoman and coffee table as well as a sculpted lounge. In Corner House, contrasts are apparent – between dark and light, hard and soft, robust and highly detailed.

The fully illuminated interiors spotlight beguiling artworks inside, including an Ildiko Kovacs work in the dining room and Tim Storrier in the main living space. This paved the way for Decus to approach furniture, finishes and décor in an inspiring and unique way. Starkly differing from the typical beachside and coastal aesthetic (of whites and blues and beige…) and opting for a more eclectic and refined palette, the splendid use of colour subtly juxtaposes with the setting. These playful hues are even more apparent in the family lounge, where a bespoke rug accompanies a pixelated artwork by Matthew Johnson.

Decus Interiors is renowned for its ability to transform residential projects in Sydney’s waterfront suburbs into exhilarating interiors that lift cues from the coastal surrounds. Corner Houses’ warmth and alluring nature further supports this idea, elevating the overall experience of the home. This project is exemplary in design and layering of materiality, suggesting the exciting appeal of living by the water.

[Images courtesy of Decus Interiors. Photography by Anson Smart.]