Rambunctious Refinement in Toorak

Rambunctious Refinement in Toorak

GOLDEN designed this Melbourne home as a bold yet timeless dance of colour and pattern 

Golden_Maxwell-01.jpg

In the lush Melbourne suburb of Toorak, local interior design firm GOLDEN has transformed a 1960s home into an abode the befits its owners’ creative flair. Inspired by the notion of ‘liveable artistry’, the existing architectural characteristics and the clients’ art collection, the design team conceived a design narrative that would spark curiosity and joy. ‘Our clients wanted to be bold and have beautiful elements throughout their home, particularly in the finishes like the green marble floor. Our design needed to be classic yet contemporary, finding a balance between colour and pattern while still feeling timeless,’ Alicia McKimm, director of GOLDEN, explains. 

The clients prioritise a balance between function and an art-led aesthetic. Their art collection takes pride of place in home, displayed alongside family photographs and sentimental items, with furnishing and objects selected to complement the work. The colours and brushstrokes of Melissa Boughey’s Interior Track to Waterfall, for example, inspired a custom-made Grazia & Co ottoman in Kelly Wearstler fabric. 

A neutral colour palette is accentuated by the generous use of patterns and jewel tones. One of the most striking elements is the marble-floored entrance, its black and green vein complemented by a trio of hand-turned tallow-wood totems by local artist Jo Wilson and a curved powder-coated balustrade. Floating marble joinery features throughout the rest of the home and is offset by Haiku Sisal wallpaper in the formal lounge. 

Custom features were selected or designed to imbue a sculptural aesthetic, most notably in the floor-to-ceiling sliding timber and reeded glass doors, a custom rug from Behruz Studio and the raised geometric block that finishes the kitchen’s polished granite island. According to McKimm, ‘each piece was carefully selected with a playful yet sophisticated finish in mind’, and it is this artful balance that now characterises the home. 

Text / Babette Radclyffe-Thomas
Images / Sharyn Cairns

Golden_Maxwell-03.jpg
Golden_Maxwell-02.jpg
Golden_Maxwell-04.jpg
Golden_Maxwell-05_A.jpg
Golden_Maxwell-07v2.jpg
Golden_Maxwell-09v2.jpg
Golden_Maxwell-08.jpg
Golden_Maxwell-06.jpg