Soft and Subtle – North Bondi by SJS Interior Design and MHNDU

As a balanced offering to its coastal conditioning, North Bondi combines a soft, curving organic approach with subtle moments of calm, creating an idyllic and removed escape. SJS Interior Design and MHNDU propose a new build that responds as well as contributes to the existing context, focusing on a connection to the natural elements.

Warm and refined, North Bondi is defined by an ingrained glow that carries throughout the home, from the first point of engagement with the interiors and into each of the internal spaces. Inspired by the nearby beaches and sandstone cliff faces, the tonality used connects to the nearby landscape, adding texture in the process while also reinterpreting the various subtleties through a more contemporary lens. The crisp and linear outer shell of the home is contrasted against curved gestures inside, almost as if the exterior is protecting the treasured interior. With architecture by MHNDU and interior design by SJS Interior Design, the resulting home is holistically composed, consistently layering textures throughout to create a unique embracing home.

Together with the lighter materials of the palette, darker lines and finishes add a sense of definition to the overall form while also framing views out.

Together with the lighter materials of the palette, darker lines and finishes add a sense of definition to the overall form while also framing views out. The coming-together of the curved and the straight, the dark and the light creates a synchronicity that also has its own calming effect and leaves nothing unfinished. While the surrounds and views out are emphasised as much as possible, the softened edges between inside and out, along with the thresholds buffering these areas through drapery and natural fabrics, then also engage with incoming winds and natural light, becoming animated throughout the day.

Over two levels, North Bondi sits as a duplex development, where adjoining homes mirror each other yet take advantage of the available orientation and aspect relevant to both. With the clients wanting to live in one property and sell the other, the combined result needed to be both personal to the owner but also appealing beyond the individual to ensure their future would appeal to a future buyer. The result sees a complementary pairing of residences that take influence from a muted palette of warm neutral colourings, creating a welcoming home in the process.

The coming-together of the curved and the straight, the dark and the light creates a synchronicity that also has its own calming effect and leaves nothing unfinished.

As an interplay with transparencies, North Bondi becomes an enhanced home that softens yet elevates the contemporary experience. SJS Interior Design and MHNDU embrace an open connectedness through a shared approach, hinting at the surrounds yet cocooning once within.