design et al are delighted to announce that Blainey North have been shortlisted for Residential £20 million plus (property by value) Award in The International Design & Architecture Awards 2019.
The concept of a watery dreamscape where edges are blurred, and motion, light and reflection take on another-worldly quality was arrived through close observation of vessels in Sydney Harbour. The world is experienced in slow motion from the vantage point of this 750 square metre, single floor apartment. Every aspect of this remarkable interior has been designed to enhance the oceanic dimension with an emphasis on incremental shifts in tone and material combined with impactful commissions for lighting and furniture which give this project its world class status.
The space, with its direct relationship to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House, is the result of an amalgamation of several individual apartments and the new layout has a fluid, curved simplicity that was highly complex to achieve. The entire space was templated with craftsmen forming the curved sequence of walls in order to test the resulting views and intersecting planes.
Key to the interior is the use of mirror-backed, fluted glass rods which surround the structural columns causing reflections to ripple and become indistinct as they catch and amplify movement in a way that is atmospheric and poetic. The attention to materiality in terms of silk carpets and moiré fabrics, leathers, glass, fluted polyurethane, mirror and marble, resin and lucite create a close-toned palette of silvery, reflective tones that are textural, calm and considered.
With a view of this calibre the intent is to lead the eye to the icons beyond whilst playing with materials that are both contemporary and ancient. The kitchen featuring swathes of Calacatta Marble cover the kitchen walls, sourced and installed to take on the movement of the wave.
Sitting in the living room, the blurred reflection of slow-moving boats on the surrounding harbour, distorts the relationship between the view and the interior. It’s a true inside – out experience where you become one with the view.
Through the combination of curves and layers of fabric, glass and metal, the interior has become one with the exterior. Moving in tune with the surrounding landscape. To be able to create a constant movement within a static interior has allowed the space an entirely unique feeling.
The interior layout is made from a collection of complex curves. These curves were templated on the floor of the site to ensure they perfectly drew the eye to the landmarks of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge upon entering.