Cedar Cottage by A.mi
Nestled within an eastern bayside suburb of Naarm/Melbourne, Cedar Cottage, by A.mi, is a minimalist, airy yet cosy home—inspired by relaxed Hamptons beach style.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Tom Blachford I Interior Design & Styling: A.mi I Builder: Lupo Building
A.mi designed new French doors throughout the home's interior and exterior, which were lined with ruched linen curtains.
Shaker-style inspired cabinetry in the kitchen space.
A golden-veined marble paints surfaces over the kitchen and bathroom.
‘My favourite design element is the joinery. Our client wanted maximum utility and storage, whilst also maintaining a sense of spaciousness and minimalism.’
‘A cooktop with an integrated extraction allows for a shelf to run all the way over the bench without being interrupted by a rangehood,’ says Anouska Milstein.
A.mi's Cedar Cottage project is an interior renovation of a small weatherboard home. The focus for the client was a minimalist space that felt bright and airy—a breezy seaside cottage feel home, inspired by Hamptons style.
Anouska Milstein, creative director and founder of A.mi, started the reimagining of the cottage with her core focus whenever designing, tapping in on how a space makes a person feel. ‘[I wanted to evoke] tranquility and restoration—arriving back to a little private haven after a long day out and the feeling you get when waking up on the first day of a holiday,’ shares Anouska.
The interior features chalky walls and warm-toned joinery contrasted against the new white timber-lined ceiling. There are also new white-washed floorboards, which are perfectly smooth underfoot, inviting shoes to be removed—these are spaces where comfort is key. ‘White washed floorboards, painted white ceiling boards, and relaxed window coverings completed the sense of effortless sophistication,’ Anouska says.
The redesign included opening up the kitchen and dining space by removing a wall. One wall of the kitchen has floor to ceiling joinery, which is contrasted against a long bench that floats off the floor. A cooktop with an integrated extraction allows for a shelf to run all the way over the bench without being interrupted by a rangehood—a must-have design feature for any art and object collector.
Given that the cottage is such a small footprint, A.mi was conscious to not overdo the Hamptons details within, ‘Shaker-style cabinetry is very common with this style, but to keep things easier on the eye, we went with a jigsaw puzzle format of this, rather than your classic inset panelling that brings more texture and depth.’
When it comes to materials applied within the cottage, it’s the marble used both in the kitchen and also the bathroom, which stands out most for Anouska. ‘I have to admit I'm low-key pleased that engineered stone is leaving the market—at least temporarily—for its silica content. Whilst we do also need to acknowledge the carbon footprint of natural stone transport, there’s something so remarkable about having such an artwork of nature in one's own home. As for marble's durability, Australians love everything to be shiny and new… it's time they learned the beauty of imperfection and patina!’
The shaker-inspired joinery throughout the interior was created for maximum utility and storage, whilst not forsaking a sense of spaciousness and minimalism. ‘It's imperative to me that every client we work with feels that they have ample storage and function at the end of each project, even if there's a lot more open storage than there was before,’ says Anouska. ‘My favourite design element in the home is the joinery. Our client wanted maximum utility and storage, whilst also maintaining a sense of spaciousness and minimalism,’ she adds.
‘White washed floorboards, painted white ceiling boards, and relaxed window coverings completed the sense of effortless sophistication,’ Anouska Milstein says.
The view from the backyard into the kitchen space.
“Whilst we do also need to acknowledge the carbon footprint of natural stone transport, there’s something so remarkable about having such an artwork of nature in one’s own home.”
A.mi designed new French doors throughout the home's interior and exterior, which were lined with ruched linen curtains.
‘New relaxed roman blinds on all windows filter light, bringing softness to each room and creating privacy out toward the garden.
A golden-veined marble paints surfaces over the kitchen and bathroom.
‘The bathroom speaks to the kitchen in its same style of joinery—the space was formerly shaped around a corridor linen closet, which was removed to create a larger bathroom.’
‘Cedar Cottage is an intimate home for slow, restful days and deep slumbered nights.’
Bathroom details.