employ dark materials and elegant finishes to craft a family home in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill fit for both everyday living and entertaining.
Embraced by a lush Japanese-inspired garden, the vision for ‘Zen Apartment’ was to seamlessly integrate the interiors and the landscape while leaning on dark materials to create drama and contrast. The result is a glamorous and sophisticated home that marries tranquillity and privacy with fun and entertainment.
Produced in partnership with
In the kitchen, Lawless & Meyerson have layered materials in the same rich black hue: black granite, black marble and .
The kitchen features the Brina stool.
Before transforming the apartment’s interiors, Lawless & Meyerson restructured its layout to better suit the family’s lifestyle. As they loved to host family and friends, the floor plan was reconfigured to accommodate a sumptuous bar area connecting to the main living area and a spacious cellar adjacent to the main entry. The living areas are designed for versatility, transitioning from elegant spaces for entertaining to sanctuaries for relaxation and day-to-day rituals.
Lawless & Meyerson selected black as the base colour for the palette for several reasons: firstly, it brought out the verdant hues of the surrounding garden; secondly, it resonated with the client’s appreciation for refined and slightly dramatic spaces; and thirdly, it felt authentic to Lawless & Meyerson’s design approach. “The apartment embodies our penchant for black or neutral colour schemes, but two-fold. It’s glamorous in its selection of materials, particularly black timber veneer, natural stone, textiles and metals,” interior designer Jo Lawless says.
In the living room, the joinery contrasts with and Meharry timber floors. The space features the Bender console, and sofa table, , , and a custom travertine coffee table. Artwork by .
was used for all the custom joinery elements within the home, including in the kitchen, living room, bar area, cellar and main bedroom, emerging as the cornerstone of the entire project. “The timber veneer was the truest black we could find, which is very important when layering lots of the same colour,” Jo says. “It also has a beautiful tactile texture despite its very dark colouring. Black timber can often appear ‘slick’, but the Eveneer product has this matte finish that gives it an earthy quality,” she adds.
The client’s affinity for classic Italian design also played a pivotal role in the project, influencing Lawless & Meyerson’s furniture selection. Esteemed brands like Minotti, Henry Timi and De Padova come together to shape the interiors, while sculptural objects tap into the apartment’s Japanese roots.
Lawless and Meyerson’s Zen Apartment underscores the value of intentional layering and conscious material selection. This approach goes beyond reflecting personal preferences, aiming to consolidate ideas around landscape and materiality into a unified design concept.
The bar mixes opulent black and green tones to create a dramatic yet calming atmosphere. The space features the Esedra Ottoman, , Bombori table lamp and Ellis side table.
The powder room is clad entirely in swirly ash-coloured marble. Featured on the wall is the .
The home is built for entertaining, with both a bar and cellar worked into the new layout.
The primary bedroom offers tranquillity and privacy, with soothing grey tones and garden views. The space features a custom bedhead crafted from , as well as the , Sella stool and Horizontal bench.
The garden runs the entire site length and is inspired by traditional Japanese ‘Karesansui’.
The post appeared first on .
