Derby Harbour, Vaucluse

When we first visited the home, the harbour view immediately stood out. It became clear that any changes to the house should strengthen the relationship between the interiors, natural light and the view beyond.

The project originally began with a much smaller brief. The clients wanted to update the existing dark timber façade, which, while beautiful in its own right, no longer reflected the lighter and brighter character they wanted for their home. We introduced light-toned tile cladding imported from Italy, using contrasting screens and glazing to create articulation and give the façade its own identity.

As the project developed, so did the relationship between our studio and the clients. What started as a façade renovation gradually grew into bathrooms, interiors, furniture, lighting and bespoke detailing. With each stage, the clients became more comfortable trusting Nathalie’s ideas and allowing us to push the design further.

For Nathalie, natural light is about much more than simply making a space brighter. She believes light brings a sense of calm and happiness to a home, which is why finding opportunities to bring daylight deeper into a building is such an important part of her design process.

In this home, the combination of natural light and the harbour outlook became central to the architecture. Skylights were introduced to bring light from above, while glazing and expanded openings created greater transparency through the house. Around the staircase, glass was used to avoid visually closing off the space, allowing light and views to continue through different areas of the home. The intention was to frame the harbour at different moments rather than allowing the view to belong to just one room.

The interiors also became an opportunity for Nathalie to draw on her Italian background. Having grown up in Italy and studied architecture in Florence, she describes Italian design as being “in her blood”. Surrounded from a young age by architecture, art and an everyday appreciation for aesthetics, she developed a strong sensitivity to proportion, materiality, furniture and detail.

But for Nathalie, Italian design is not only about beauty. It is also about innovation. She is constantly looking for a new material, technology, product or brand that can bring something unexpected to a project. With clients who were excited by this approach, she was able to source and import a complete container of furniture, materials and fittings directly from Italy.

Each furniture piece was modelled within the home in 3D before being selected, allowing the clients to understand how it would sit within the space and ensuring the architecture and furniture worked together. Lighting was considered in the same way. Alongside the emphasis on daylight, distinctive Italian light fittings were selected to bring warmth, atmosphere and another layer of design to the interiors.

What we value most about this project is the trust that developed throughout the process. The clients were willing to explore new ideas and became genuinely involved and excited when something different was proposed. That freedom allowed a relatively simple façade brief to evolve naturally into a much more complete expression of our studio's approach to architecture and interiors.

The result is a home designed specifically around its owners, its remarkable outlook and the way they live. It is light-filled, highly considered and personal, bringing together Nathalie’s Italian design influence with a strong connection to its Sydney Harbour setting. Above all, it reflects her belief that a home should not only be beautiful when it is completed, but should have the quality, individuality and longevity to be enjoyed for many years to come.