Commissioned Luxury – Pavilion House by Nina Maya Interiors

Nina Maya Interiors has transformed a simple single-storey pavilion house in Avalon, Sydney, into a luxury beach home that showcases the studio’s design approach and ethos. Minimal, sleek and neutral, the interior provides a soft backdrop for custom-designed and commissioned lighting, furniture and artwork.

When Nina Maya and her husband bought a simple single-story house in Avalon, Sydney, it provided a blank canvas to create a dream design for a beach house, with every element custom designed, commissioned and crafted. Calm and idyllic, the luxury home showcases Nina Maya Interiors’s approach and ethos, as well as the exceptional skill of the suppliers, artists and designers the studio works with. “Having an open brief has been a wonderful experience, and it’s been great for us as a studio to really express our dream design,” Nina says.

The interiors truly exemplify Nina’s design philosophy: “I like interior architecture and materiality to be minimal, clean, sleek and neutral. And because this is a beach house, we wanted to give it a retreat feel and for all the materials to be harmonious.”

The foundation of the Pavilion House is a four-bedroom pavilion home built in the 1980s. The previous owners had updated and extended the house about 10 years ago, but very little had been done to the original build otherwise, which was part of the attraction. “It was literally a black box, and it represented the perfect blank slate,” says Nina. The house sits on a block of nearly 1,000 square metres, with the kitchen, dining and living area facing north to the pool, deck and garden. The four bedrooms are along the south side of the house, with two bathrooms (one of them newly integrated) in the middle of the floor plan. Large skylights illuminate these bathrooms, and Nina describes the light in the new master bathroom as “absolutely glorious.”

The interiors truly exemplify Nina’s design philosophy: “I like interior architecture and materiality to be minimal, clean, sleek and neutral. And because this is a beach house, we wanted to give it a retreat feel and for all the materials to be harmonious.” The wall and ceilings in every room, and the floor of the living room, have a beautiful micro-cement coating that offers a velvety-textured neutral base. It has a subtle shimmer when it catches the light, especially on the wall beneath the six skylights along the edge of the living room. Kitchen joinery, including the range hood, is also coated with micro-cement so that it seamlessly blends into the walls, and the full-height joinery eliminates any superfluous lines. It also provides a minimalist backdrop to the Brescia green marble kitchen island and benchtops, which have been crafted in Italy. “The marble has the most incredible combination of colours, with navy blue, deep green and light green,” says Nina. The curved sides and thick benchtop of the island also show off its distinctive veining and beauty.

The artworks displayed throughout are all unique pieces, including the mesmerising Infinity Works light by artist Max Patté in the dining room and the playful resin form that local artist Tan Arlidge developed for the kitchen.

Nina custom designed or commissioned all the furniture, lighting and artworks specifically for the house, including rugs and mirrors. The studio often designs one-off pieces for clients, and Nina saw the Pavilion House as an opportunity to expand the breadth of the collection. “Most of our projects are high-end residential homes in the city. This is a high-end beach house so it is still our style, but with neutral putty boucles and textured fabrics to give that lighter, beachy feel,” Nina says. The couch and chairs have rounded, voluminous forms, and the coffee tables, bedsides, dining table and bath are all carved from solid blocks of marble, with the floor reinforced to handle the weight. The lighting is also crafted exclusively for the house by Canadian lighting designer Randy Zieber. His kitchen pendant and master bedroom wall sconces are all made with alabaster, marble and bronze.

The artworks displayed throughout are all unique pieces, including the mesmerising Infinity Works light by artist Max Patté in the dining room and the playful resin form that local artist Tan Arlidge developed for the kitchen. Marisa Purcell designed the canvas piece that hangs in the lounge room, and a series of graphic works by Marcus Piper in collaboration with Axolotl are in all the bedrooms. “I am so humbled and honoured to work with these suppliers, artists and craftspeople. To have them create something site-specific and bespoke for the house has been extremely rewarding,” Nina says.

“Most of our projects are high-end residential homes in the city. This is a high-end beach house so it is still our style, but with neutral putty boucles and textured fabrics to give that lighter, beachy feel,” Nina says.

The block itself provided plenty of opportunity to develop the outdoors into different spaces for the family to use. A new pavilion to the side of the house contains an outdoor bathroom with sheer curtains that open to the pool. There is a new outdoor dining area at the top of the site, a circular fire pit, and huge gum trees, palm trees and expansive lawn. The result is a garden sanctuary that feels like a natural extension of the interior design; a place to enjoy the coastal landscape and climate in luxury and amenity.

The Pavilion House complements Nina’s previous project, The Glasshouse in Paddington. Together, they represent the best of both worlds – coastal and city living at their finest – and showcase the adept eye and skill of the studio: two very different homes that are grounded in custom design, exceptional craftsmanship and offer luxury bespoke living.