Materiality is the hero in this home, one that is filled with a host of stylish design elements. It’s a dwelling designed with European flavour, timeless and unashamedly unique.
The owner wanted a home that captured the eclectic style of the family who lives there. Andrew Stapleton, director of DOOD Studio, says there wasn’t a definitive list of must-haves at the start. “There was a blank slate on the site, so the brief evolved as we designed,” he explained. This is the family home of interior designer Elif Sozer, her partner and their two children. The body of work included four bedrooms, a master ensuite, guest ensuite, bathroom and powder room, as well as two living spaces.
The design affords flexibility and futureproofing, so the spaces can evolve over time to suit as the children grow. The spaces harmonise and flow; there are elements that dazzle, while others simply take your breath away. Andrew notes that a big emphasis was placed on texture and form. “The architecture is mostly white, but the use of battens, curves and tactile bricks creates an interesting built form,” he enthuses.
The project is a fusion of contemporary and classic; Andrew describes it as inspired by the Spanish villa. “It was then played upon to create an eclectic and unique home,” he notes. The Spanish villa often has arched doorways, rustic elements, beautiful natural stone and thoughtful architectural details.
Elif says the design seamlessly combines ageless charm with contemporary design. “Large steel windows stand in striking contrast with European oak floors, while brass accents, walnut cabinetry and bold marble elements create a space that feels lived in and luxurious,” she notes.
In designing the project, Andrew says a keen emphasis was placed on layout and orientation. “Having a decent-sized site and a clean slate was a unique opportunity, so we ensured that we oriented the living spaces towards north and considered all passive solar design objectives,” he explains.
As this European flavour home came to life, Andrew says there was a lot of time and energy spent refining the details of the facade. “Especially the garage door, the floating brick curves in the facade and batten cladding,” he explains. “The end result is a testament to the engineers, builders and designers.” The external facade is poetic, detailed and easy on the eye. The screens, facade treatments and clever placement of windows are attractive and also control the solar impact on the home.
Eco-friendly measures and key sustainability processes were an important component of the build and include passive solar design, solar panels and batteries.
The play of light is one of Andrew’s favourite parts of the design. “I like the way the light bounces across the floor in the main living space, and the way the sun hits the facade at different times of the day,” he says.
Each aspect of the build reflects judicious detail. This owner-builder project evolved as a close collaboration between creatives to craft a unique project that will serve the family well. Andrew acknowledges that Elif and her family worked tirelessly to get the project built to a high standard. “Dood Studio worked closely with the owners and consultants to get the documentation and design to sing,” he says.
Now that the home is complete, the family is happily settled there. The house was designed when the world was in the grips of Covid lockdowns and Andrew says that when working within those restraints, the office became the ‘playground’. “I remember bringing buckets with samples to picnic tables and pointing to them from a social distance,” he says. “There were many hours of Teams and virtual 3D tours. It was amazing to see the home built as we virtually felt we had already lived in the space,” he recalls.
