Lumiere House

by Sherson Architecture & Projection Build

Nestled at the end of a battleaxe driveway in the picturesque suburb of Mangerton, Wollongong, Lumière House is the five bedroom, five bathroom family home of Dane and Zoe Cartwright, owners of Projection Build. Purchased as an original 1940’s Art Deco home a few years ago, the property has been reimagined as a true entertainer’s delight, effortlessly combining coastal elegance and simplicity with modern architectural sophistication to breathe that holiday feel all-year round. “We’re a beachy family,” said DaneCartwright of their choice for the Illawarra suburb. “The boys love the water, so we wanted the coastal lifestyle but in a central location. Mangerton was perfect – boasting expansive views across the Wollongong city skyline and within minutes of some beautiful beaches. Its mature, leafy vibe, great schools and close proximity to UOW ticked all the boxes.” Designed by Sherson Architecture, completed in 2021 by the Cartwright family-owned master build company, Projection Build, with interiors by Maven Homes, the Cartwrights wanted to create a warm, calm and inviting space that welcomed their friends and family to their home. Retaining a celebration of the original detail of the curved brick façade, curved balcony, exposed rafter tails and racked eve. The external façade was transformed into a bold architectural form, completed by a multidimensional anodized aluminium, creating texture and interest, and reinventing the expected family home through commercial elements. The shape, window placement and interior layout has been artfully crafted to maximise the limited space and site constraints, designed with privacy in mind to ensure discretion from all angles. “We wanted three ultra-modern spaces that really complemented the original dwelling,” said Dane. “We explored various boutique hotel and resort looks with our interior designer, Lee Talbot of Maven Homes, when conceptualizing the build, like Brisbane’s Carlile Hotel.” Awarded for its design and perfect balance of warmth, risk and sophistication, the Carlile Hotel embraces entertainment-savvy interiors and the Australian alfresco friendly lifestyle with style & flair, and Zoe and Dane fell in love with its warm, calming, neutral palette. Similarly, the family’s love for Byron Bay, coastal vibes and Rae’s became a big inspiration for the organic tones, white curves and natural looking aches. Lee, on her briefing sessions during the interior conceptualisation stage, continues, “The Cartwright’s wanted a high-end commercial look with a warm & welcoming feel. Achieving a minimal luxe palette with unique injections of unexpected styling and texture was important to both my client and myself.” “The Art Deco period, with its stepped forms and sweeping curves, were also a natural reference given the era of the existing home. By exploring this design aesthetic and period, I sourced and established a strong materiality and finished palette, building a bold premise and concept for the art & styling.” With high ceilings and oversized north-facing glazed window elevations, the newly-renovated home and extension shares an abundance of natural light, accentuating the detail of the soft curves and subtle fluting. “Our marble was the very first purchase for the home, and has been the key influence and direction of the colour pallet and interior selections,” said Dane. “Drawing a line of delineation between what remained existing and what was a new addition meant it was important to celebrate and restore the original elements of the existing dwelling, accomplished by reinventing key features using modern materials, like our fireplace.” Dane and his Projection Build team restored the original fireplace, located in the library area to the right of the entry, with bespoke Carrara fluting, echoed throughout the home and custom ordered from an Italian stone mason. A focal point of the property, the Vigo Lena pink marble curved floor slab and Artedomus mantelpiece is one of their favourite elements.

Maximising space and light, a double sawtooth ceiling features above the kitchen and dining room, with large format external sliding doors overlooking the updated pool area from the Jono Goode-designed kitchen, of which’s colour pallet plays homage to the custom-made Carrara marble flutes, individually laid around the face of the island bench. Designed for modern, stylish family living, the careful architectural detailing around structural steel and glass glazing frames bring the essence of the outdoors, in. Its open plan glides between various entertaining spaces, including a discrete, north-facing pop-out that sits off the dining room, capturing the warmth of the Australian sun year-round. The living area features a second bespoke double-sided fireplace, with suspended concrete hearth dividing the living and dining areas. The anodised aluminium pivot windows and doors fill the space in natural light, with soft, curved archways and internal windows encouraging the light to flow through the home. Interior designer, Lee, designed a custom lounge that reflected the flute detail again, working with Heartwood and Upholstery Stitches to bring the vision to life. Through to the library, the detail and ambience of the restored fluted fireplace is echoed in the entertaining area, accessed through a glass corridor with a curved Vigo Lena Marble kitchen island bench and custom, handmade dining table. Bi-fold doors extend the space out onto the curved concrete balcony for seamless indoor/outdoor entertaining. The floors are Boral 100% Limestone Envisa polished concrete, with hydronic under floor heating reticulated through the slab for both heating and cooling. The couple restored the property’s original timber floors, cladding it with American oak solid timber tongue and grove strip flooring. The staircase, custom designed by Projection Build, is suspended by custom fabricated brass dowels, supported by the ceiling. On the top floor of the home is the master bedroom, with its curved walk in robe, spa-inspired en-suite bathroom, high ceiling and skylights and floor to ceiling windows and bi-fold, opening out to a private balcony. The bedroom features a gorgeous custom-made bedhead designed by Dream Monster, with pendant bedside lighting by Nightworks Studio. With full-length sage marble tiles curving softly around the walls, the oversized wet room boasts a his and hers shower and basin, views overlooking Wollongong City. On the lower level, the guest wing, again, echoes the Carrara marble, with floor to ceiling tiles and a walk-through bedroom to en-suite. The unique corner window adds contrast and interest, overlooking the landscaped garden area. The ground floor is dedicated to the boys, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a rumpus room designed to suit their individual personalities. The floor to ceiling pivot doors open out to large lush green lawns and gardens – plenty of space for them to run around safely and stay busy. The attention to detail and expertise this property captures is unparalleled. When asked what her favourite part of the home was, Dane said, “everything. It’s my dream home. We always have visitors and we love entertaining. There are so many areas to discover and relax in – it feels like our own secluded resort. Overlooking Wollongong, the views are spectacular, especially at night with all of the lights.”