Together with Melbourne architectural group Stonnington Residential, interior designer Lou Prentice balances boldness and comfort in the Embling Road House. Asked to bring her sophisticated vision to the new family home, Lou has made way for cohesive interiors intuitive to the home’s architectural symmetry, flow and proportion – one of her favourite projects to date. 

 The brief was to accommodate a busy family and, at the same time, maintain a timeless sense of softness and warmth. Lou says that as one of her most seamless projects to date, after accumulating art pieces and deciding on an overall colour palette, the rest fell into place.

The family home is complete with an open plan entertaining area, cellar, Argentinian barbecue, fire pit and basement. As a new build, the absence of period details provided an opportunity to elevate the home with statement lighting such as the Articolo Lighting Lumi lights. As seen in her own home, designed in collaboration with Templeton Architecture, Lou’s love for Apparatus lighting is clear in Embling Road House. The Apparatus Cloud Pendant is the living room’s focal point, while the Trapeze 10 Pendant features in the kitchen. “What brings me so much pleasure in my home is my lighting,” Lou says. “I took a tour through Apparatus’ studio in New York, and I admired the workmanship. I think we brought warmth and tactility in this home with our choice of lighting,” Lou adds.

Embling Road residence features a subtle grey palette, with green accents appearing consistently in each space. The client’s favourite colour is green, reflected in the rugs and furnishings, such as the custom made floor rug in the living room and the velvet Tufty-Too sofa by Patricia Urquiola. Perhaps most strikingly, Lou worked with the client to select green stone in the powder room. Colour doesn’t stop here – you’ll find blush pink tiles in the kid’s bathroom, and the basement set out in a blue theme, with a kitchenette and custom billiard table.

The kitchen follows a subdued scheme with shades of grey in the joinery, the natural stone and the HAY Revolver barstools. Aged brass fittings and fixtures bring warmth to these cool tones, while Lou says the materials balance light and dark, “so everything wasn’t all sparkly and shiny.”

Lou was careful to select furnishings that met the brief for a family home and reflected the home’s curved features.  Standout design pieces include the B&B Italia Caratos chairs in the sitting room and the Gervasoni Nuvola 09 Chair. The iconic Elbow Chairs by Hans J. Wegner for Carl & Hansen also make an appearance around the custom made John Bastiras table in the kitchen-dining area. In the formal dining zone, Lou selected the  Gubi Beetle Dining Chairs by GamFratesi and Moon Table by Space Copenhagen.