Having not seenย a lick of paint sinceย the 1960s, the dated apartment in Sydney’s Neutral Bay was cold and uninviting. That was until Daniele Mantovani and Marj Silva of boutique interior design firm, Dรฉcor Project, stepped in.
“Ourย brief was to create an easy and comfortable space with plenty of display areas to show offย our clients’ beautiful collection of indigenous artefacts,” explains Marj. “So we decided to keep the entire scheme very neutral to be the backdrop for all the art.”
While they letย the beautiful objets dโart do the talking, they did add someย dramaย in the living room, installing a custom wall unit and display cabinet. “The living room wall unit was our focal point for the space,” says Marj. “In this instance we had to push the clients outside their comfort zone but having theirย trust paid off with great results. This became everyoneโs favourite feature in the home. Its simplicity, sleekness and scale is a great backdrop for all the colourful objects.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”cbInIFJQyFsBrKPutC3qrTLMofke6mNK”]Undertaking a cosmetic but expansiveย renovation, theyย replaced all the finishes and fittings includingย the flooring, wallย colour, appliances and furniture and started afresh in the kitchen and bathroom. “The original kitchen was very dated and its layout wasn’t ideal,” explains Marj. “Despite being a small space it had to be functional. We decided on matte cabinet finishes for ease of cleaning and design longevity. And the marble was the starting point for the design, settingย an elegant tone to the entire kitchen. Now we can say weโreย utilising the space to its full potential.”
Another key request from the clients was to maximise storage solutions, and as fellow apartment livers will know, there is no such thing as too much storage! “We looked into every nook and cranny to ensure no space was goingย unaccountedย for,” says Marj. “We then added a storage unit under the stairs to house extra books and their printer.”
Home to a couple and their teenage daughter,ย the apartmentย that was once far from theirย dream home, now features contemporary and subdued joinery and finishes that are the perfect background to anย extensive collection of globalย treasures.
Photography byย Lisa Zhu
