Balanced Immersion – Grand Georgian by Carla Barton, Roger Nahum and Andrew Spaile
Although newly built, Grand Georgian emulates the Georgian period as a nod to the surrounding context and as a statement of permanence and longevity. Carla Barton, together with Roger Nahum and Andrew Spaile, ensures every element within the home has been meticulously crafted, creating a richness through a depth in layers, tactility and deep and light tones.
Located within Double Bay, Grand Georgian needed to fit comfortably in its surrounds whilst also reflecting the owners. Alongside the combination of classical proportions with a generous scale, modernist influences merge with a Georgian style to ensure the home sat respectfully within the established streetscape. Completed this year, the double-storey home encompasses an inviting entry foyer, expansive living spaces, kitchen, integrated laundry, powder room, study and a generously sized double garage on the ground floor. On the upper level, three equally generous bedrooms reside, each with a bathroom and large storage capacity. With architecture by Roger Nahum and Andrew Spaile and interior design by Carla Barton, the resulting home feels period appropriate.
Alongside the combination of classical proportions with a generous scale, modernist influences merge with a Georgian style to ensure the home sat respectfully within the established streetscape.
What was previously a modest, single-storey Federation home has since been transformed into the Grand Georgian. The ultimate challenge lay in infusing the design with elements that would transcend trends and instead embrace a more timeless approach – responding more to place than time. Amid the curated coming together of character-rich pieces and designed furniture, artwork and lighting, there exists a muted and minimal base as a foundation. The ability to accommodate the changes over time, and the need for a family home to be flexible and have an element of dynamism in the planning, ensures an openness throughout.
During the process of downsizing from a larger property, the owners wanted to retain an existing connection to an established storied sensibility that a heritage home provides whilst infusing it with a fresh start. Featuring the owners’ collected treasures together with new elements, the spaces needed to accommodate a level of eclectic personality. Focusing on a natural approach, timber veneers, stones, metals and specialised plaster applications are combined with crafted and handmade Murano glass. Throughout the home, and despite its size, there is an evidenced warmth that provides a feeling of safety and enclosure whilst also reinforcing a feeling of disconnection from urbanity.
What was previously a modest, single-storey Federation home has since been transformed into the Grand Georgian.
Through an alchemy of fusing materials and textures within such a considered and enduring framework, Grand Georgian stands as a totem of understated permanence. Carla Barton, together with Roger Nahum and Andrew Spaile, ensures the comforts of a contemporary home are well ingrained amid a more traditional approach, firmly grounding the home in place for many years.
