A Creative Milieu – Paddington House by Boris Tosic of Élan Construct

Materially-rich and emotive, Paddington House by Élan Construct immerses its occupants in a cinematic interior inspired by owner and master craftsman Boris Tosic’s treasured collection of curiosities.

Artfully curated and constructed by owner and master craftsman Boris Tosic, of Élan Construct, Paddington House is a multi-storey warehouse conversion reflecting its inhabitants’ passion for detail and life-long obsession with collectible design. Perhaps best known for Paramount, a multiple award-winning boutique office space in Surry Hills, the Tosics’ family home similarly reflect sits owner and builder’s curiosity and creative spirit, combining art, design and furniture – both collected and custom made.

Passionately believing in the emotional benefit of pre-loved pieces, he sought to treat all aspects of the interior as art forms in their own right.

The home reworks the characterful bones of an 1890s brick warehouse, a quaint yet unassuming building set on the corner of a narrow street and laneway in inner-Sydney. The basement footprint is extended to accommodate a gym, spa and cinema, delivering four equal floor plates of 130m2, plus a rooftop with long-ranging views to Botany Bay. While expansive, the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home maintains a sense of warmth and intimacy with dedicated places to socialise and entertain, retreat and relax.

Boris’s arresting art collection steered the design intent, informing a minimalist approach to the interior. Walnut timber forms the principle finish, “a workable and universally loved material,” he muses. Its versatility is evidenced in the skilful craft inherent in the striking herringbone floor, floating stair, sinuous balustrade, and series of custom door suites, giving a sense of continuity, warmth and mood. Boris relates the tactility of the walnut to “almost a feeling of picking up a pebble in your hand… there’s a sensory quality you’re drawn to caress.” Against this warmth, honed and flamed Bedonia tiles from Artedomus provide a cool and recessive counter-balance – and the Bedonia continues on the rooftop terrace, which becomes an extension of the interior.

Sharing a love of entertaining, the Tosic family saw the kitchen as the beating heart of the home. Here, the walnut joinery is animated by refracted and rippled light streaming through the glass-bottomed rooftop pool – an arresting vision, delightful and indelible. Beyond, a table for twelve presents a welcoming dining space, with the Agape Casa

Incas table in Nero Marquina and Tre3 Chairs from Artedomus acting as a sculptural focal point. The kitchen is completed with a rare 1960s Giunone light sculpture by Vico Magistretti, surrounded by Boris’s covetable artwork collection, including works by Charles Blackman, John Coburn and Bill Henson.

Boris worked with dear friend, fellow design collector and collaborator, Don Cameron, to procure many of the vintage pieces for the home. passionately believing in the emotional benefit of pre-loved pieces, he sought to treat all aspects of the interior as art forms in their own right. The collection represents his evolving personal narrative, harnessed by a deep connection to the creative world.“It’s like ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’,” he laughs.

From early concept, Boris considered the curvaceous forms of the Agape DR Bath by Marcia Kogan and as a centrepiece to the master suite, while the sculpted stone form of the Bjhon 1 Basin in the bathroom is a heroic statement for visitors.

With the eclecticism of the home, it was imperative that fixtures and fittings were refined and somewhat understated yet of equal design integrity. Boris was quick to notice the design and craftsmanship of Agape bathware and Sen tapwarein Milan, which he sourced from Artedomus. “There was never a doubt we would use these products in the home,” he comments. From early concept, Boris considered the curvaceous forms of the Agape DR Bath by Marcia Kogan and as a centrepiece to the master suite, while the sculpted stone form of the Bjhon 1 Basin in the bathroom is a heroic statement for visitors. Meanwhile, Maximum porcelain wall panels, also from Artedomus, were an intuitive choice given the quality of the finish and speed of installation.

Reflecting on the project, Boris observes that “in design and construction, we have a tendency to over-build and over-finish things, but I realised space is the luxury.” Indeed, Paddington House embraces the notion that‘becoming is better than being’. Never in a state of finality, the home shape-shifts with the evolving array of art and objects – a reflection of Boris’s enduring appetite for design, discomfort in stasis and delight in pursuing creative dialogue with his cherished family, friends and collaborators.