When you think of a beachside home, you automatically visualise whitewashed finishes and bright, light interiors with hints of blue and green. Nicquel and Sam Carmichael, owner/builder duo of Carmichael Build, had a piece of land with an existing property in Palm Beach, Queensland. Wanting to set the home apart from the typical white weatherboard and sandstone-clad houses of the Palm Beach streets, the Carmichaels have certainly made a statement with Onyx, the floating black box.
“Traditionally, people on the Gold Coast have tended to shy away from darker tones in architecture, clinging to the comfortable light coastal colours,” says Nicquel. “Breaking this mould and venturing into the mysterious and moody colour palette was a risk that we knew would pay off .”
In feng shui, the colour black represents the water element, symbolising stillness and wisdom. While black is usually applied as an accent colour, Onyx showcases how this dark and moody hue can possess elegance and luxury. From the exterior cladding to all major interior furnishings, walls and even the ceiling, Onyx is a “floating black box” inspired by renowned Melbourne architecture and design.
The stained black timber ceiling was a particular feature that the building designer, Sam Ray of Story Design Collective, was initially unsure of due to how much black was already being used in the build. Now, however, it’s one of his favourite features.
“Water flows, connects and creates life,” says Nicquel. “The black, charred timber ceilings were designed to do exactly this between spaces. Rather than feeling heavy and intrusive, it became a beautiful accent balanced with the blue hues from the natural stone and striking brushed nickel tapware.”
The original home on this flat, square, east-facing block was a single-storey brick home. The Carmichaels’ original plan was to renovate the existing home, but the cost to reinforce the concrete slab and add a second storey outweighed the cost to knock down and rebuild. Flood restrictions in the area also required the house to be raised 500mm off the ground, which posed a challenge of maintaining a seamless indoor/outdoor connection as well as privacy issues.
Floating stairs connect the home to ground level and the garden wraps around the home, creating an organic landscape like the coastal cliffs seen across the Mornington Peninsula. Six mature olive trees were craned in and planted to maintain privacy, while council also approved an increased fence height to 2.5m along with a gatehouse design.
“The gatehouse was designed to be like a hole in the wall, like entering a secret cave into a luxurious grand world on the other side,” says Nicquel.
Onyx House is a five-bedroom, four-bathroom family home with study and powder room, off -street parking, pool, entertaining deck, built-in barbecue and sunken firepit. The ground floor has 2.7-metre ceilings with fluid transitions between internal and external living spaces. The centralised kitchen has been designed as the hub of the home with a butler’s pantry, five-metre island bench, 900mm induction cooktop, Zip HydroTap and Gaggenau and Smeg appliances, including three pyrolytic ovens. The top level houses the sleeping quarters, with a generous master suite that boasts a double shower and dressing room.
“Onyx is breaking the mould and showcasing that black deserves a place in a coastal setting. It is warm, inviting and homely yet luxurious and sleek,” says Nicquel.
