A Quiet Mood – Bondi 2 by Studio Quarters
Balancing warmth and restraint, Bondi 2 by Studio Quarters echoes the relaxed tone of its beachside locale. Crisp profiles and a light material palette craft an uplifting setting for family life to unfold, set against the sun, garden, sea and sky.
Captivated by a friend’s renovation designed by Studio Quarters, the clients approached the emerging design practice to instil a new spatial atmosphere in their Bondi terrace home. While the existing layout required minimal intervention, Studio Quarters applied a precise approach to materials and detailing to create cohesion between spaces, reflecting the clients’ outdoor lifestyle. “We sought to capture the intangible, crafting a reposeful space to unwind,” says Janice Yim, Co-Director of Studio Quarters with Theresa Chan.
While the existing layout required minimal intervention, Studio Quarters applied a precise approach to materials and detailing to create cohesion between spaces, reflecting the clients’ outdoor lifestyle.
The design team began by replacing the home’s honed concrete floors with a pale, porcelain tile – Core Shade Plain, sourced from Artedomus. Stretching from the front entry to an open kitchen, living and dining space, the floor tile expands the compact home’s sense of scale, while creating a pared-back sensibility. Manufactured in Italy by Fiandre, the tile creates a subtle stone effect with a durable, matte finish. “We always work from the ground up,” reveals Theresa. “The softness of the floor tile was a starting point for us in establishing the overall tone of Bondi 2 – it was a backdrop for the design.”
The kitchen island is increased in scale and holds a refined presence in the open interior. Fine Artetech Ombra Blanco pressed porcelain sheets, sourced from Artedomus, define the benchtop and splashback, lending seamlessness between surfaces. The product’s strength and fineness are expressed in a cantilevered benchtop, crafting a lightness that befits the home’s scale. “The product ticked all the boxes for durability, strength, versatility and maintenance while helping us achieve a quiet aesthetic,” reflects Janice.
The design team began by replacing the home’s honed concrete floors with a pale, porcelain tile – Core Shade Plain, sourced from Artedomus.
The restraint of the pressed porcelain is maintained with pale grey lacquered cabinetry and slimline pull handles, custom powder coated to match. Studio Quarters carefully considered the cabinetry detailing to conceal appliances and optimise storage. “We were also conscious of balancing the quietness of the design with moments of warmth,” says Janice. To this end, an L-shaped stained timber shelf floats either side of the kitchen range hood, crafting a tactile surface to personalise with art and décor. A scalloped profile is cut from the timber back panel, playfully framing the glow of an exposed-bulb wall light.
Opposite, the living and dining spaces are carefully curated to support the family’s daily rituals. “We wanted the spaces to work as efficiently as possible while ensuring they read as a single relaxed volume,” says Janice. A striking brass and mouth-blown glass pendant light by Articolo grounds the dining area, and the generous proportions of the Miller Lounge by Jardan define a cosy lounge space for the family to gather. Sheer curtains gently temper natural light and frame views to the rear garden, sensitively landscaped by Tanya Wood Landscape Architecture. “By creating a language that is deliberate and void of fuss, the relaxed pace of the clients’ indoor-outdoor lifestyle becomes well supported,” explains Theresa.
The bathroom walls are relined in Fiandre Colour Studio Sage – a softly textured, matte mosaic tile supplied by Artedomus, which “lends scale and texture to the palette without being overbearing,” explains Janice.
Additional layout tweaks improve the home’s legibility and use of space. The powder room is fine-tuned to better conceal its entry, affording increased privacy and separation, while a storage room is reworked as a dedicated study space, complete with a bespoke desk and supplies cupboard. “This space has been invaluable for the clients when working from home or seeking a quiet retreat,” says Janice.
Upstairs, Studio Quarters breathed new life into the home’s bathroom and ensuite, maintaining the lower level’s light, uplifting feel. The bathroom walls are relined in Fiandre Colour Studio Sage – a softly textured, matte mosaic tile supplied by Artedomus, which “lends scale and texture to the palette without being overbearing,” explains Janice. The gentle sage hue connects with the tones of the garden and nearby parklands and draws focus to a sculpted wall basin and weathered brass tapware, intended to patina with time and use.
The ensuite and robe’s once muddled arrangement is thoughtfully reworked as a bright, singular volume that facilitates an intuitive flow between spaces. Concealed behind a veil of pale grey, lacquered cabinetry, a double-height robe with pull-down hanging rods maximises storage capacity while maintaining an ordered aesthetic. In the adjacent ensuite, toilet and shower niches are screened by cloudy, acid-etched glass, celebrating the room’s new sense of openness. Fiandre Fjord White Natural tiles, also supplied by Artedomus, line floors and walls, offering a continued sense of subtle tactility and restfulness.
Studio Quarters’s extensive use of Artedomus products extends beyond aesthetic decisions. “The Artedomus team are genuinely invested in design,” remarks Theresa. “They understand our design sensibility as a practice and confidently assist in sourcing unique products to fit the project.” For Studio Quarters, Artedomus’s product knowledge, willingness to help and efficiency in sourcing product is unparalleled. “The showroom is also an incredible resource to view large format finishes,” concedes Janice. “It’s accessible and gives us and our clients confidence in understanding the colour, scale and texture of products prior to specifying.”
With strong environmental credentials, Fiandre’s porcelain products were of particular interest to Studio Quarters, reflecting the clients’ reverence for nature.
With strong environmental credentials, Fiandre’s porcelain products were of particular interest to Studio Quarters, reflecting the clients’ reverence for nature. The Italian ceramics manufacturer has developed proprietary technology to reduce the impact of their production processes and, by late 2022, is set to become the first ceramics factory in the world to be powered by green hydrogen renewable energy. “The Artetech Ombra range uses 100 per cent natural components,” says Janice. Delivering on quality, aesthetic and environmental concerns, she reflects that “it’s one of our favourite aspects of Bondi 2.”
While the Artedomus products ground the house with subtle texture, Studio Quarters curated a striking selection of furniture and décor that enlivens the interior and expresses the clients’ interest in collectible design. “Moments of boldness are incorporated into the details and furniture pieces to give the design a contemporary edge,” says Theresa. Fine silhouettes are expressed in the La Pipe Dining Chairs by Friends & Founders, supplied by Fred International, balanced by sculptural pieces, like the marble pieces from Artedomus’s New Volumes collection.
The design of Bondi 2 crafts a series of spatial atmospheres – places that cocoon and nurture, others that connect the family with natural light and landscape – yet the quality of quietness and repose is consistent throughout. “There’s no hierarchy,” muses Janice, “each element blurs and blends together.” Indeed, Studio Quarters’s skilful layering of muted and restrained surfaces is deliberately balanced, creating a subdued yet warm place of respite for the young family.
