Layered Balance – First Blush by Smac Studio and Van Rooijen Meyers Architects

Through a harmonious layering of texture and tone, First Blush overlays a sense of order and calm among the happenings of the busy family home. Smac Studio and Van Rooijen Meyers Architects propose a series of softly integrated spaces that capture the personalities of its owners, creating a unique personal connection for each.

First Blush takes on a feminine touch in all its comprising elements, reflecting the three daughters that live there. Located in Dover Heights, the home balances the want for calm whilst allowing for compartmentalisation of the supporting elements of everyday life. Allowing for a feeling of retreat to remain prominent was key to all inserted gestures. Spread over multiple levels, the generous home is mostly comprised of lighter elements, emphasised further by the incoming natural light that illuminates throughout. With interior design by Smac Studio and architecture by Van Rooijen Meyers Architects, the home captures the spirit of its owners with an intention to remain relevant over time.

Spread over multiple levels, the generous home is mostly comprised of lighter elements, emphasised further by the incoming natural light that illuminates throughout.

First Blush is conceived as a place for memory making. Drawing from her own history and connection to settings within the family home, the owner wanted to allow for new memories to be created over time. Each insertion has been carefully considered – from the integrated and custom joinery dotted throughout to the custom artwork, furniture curation and soft lighting. Varying levels of the home’s namesake, blush, are used in a multitude of iterations, creating differing depths and variety of materiality and texture.

In adding warmth through texture and variation, First Blush feels familiar – reminiscent of home for all those who engage with it. Expressive stonework is integrated as a balance to the softer and warm tones of pink used, where veining adds additional detail. There is a delicacy to the layering of lighting scones with brass accents and textiles, all coming together to craft a unique home. Taking cues from boutique retail environments, the wardrobe and bedroom spaces aim to capture a sense of opulence through an enriched nature, whilst reflective surfaces create feelings of increased depth and expanded scale.

In adding warmth through texture and variation, First Blush feels familiar – reminiscent of home for all those who engage with it.

In referencing their own past, First Blush becomes the ideal and plush vehicle for the owners’ next chapter. Smac Studio and Van Rooijen Meyers Architects have created a home of lasting warmth and resonance, well positioned to age gracefully along with its occupants.