First Blush by Smac Studio
First Blush by Smac Studio is a plush family home, perfected with a soft pink palette, the space brings a warm and inviting sense of luxury and tranquillity for its family of five.
Words: Georgie Ward I Photography: Anson Smart
The brief was to create a home that made the most of its small site with ample room for a growing family and to entertain a large extended family, but to feel open, airy and luxurious. Photo: Anson Smart
‘For a small house, it really packs a punch in terms of capability to entertain and capacity,’ says Shona McElroy. Photo: Anson Smart
‘We were always drawn to the subtle pinks, they go really well with bronzes which we knew we were going to use early on.’ Photo: Anson Smart
‘The key challenge was creating a layout that maximised the light, space & worked perfectly for their family, while keeping in mind that when they eventually outgrow it, a potential buyer would fall in love with it.’ Photo: Anson Smart
‘Overall the house is modern, but it has classical touches that give it more depth.’ Photo: Anson Smart
‘There’s actually a lot of storage in this kitchen and the island bench is much bigger than it looks in the photos. The kitchen also has a mini butler’s pantry in the cupboards!’ Photo: Anson Smart
Located in Dover Heights, Smac Studio’s project First Blush is a picture-perfect home that balances a harmonious layering of texture and tone to create a serene series of spaces for a busy family.
Echoing the name of the project, Shona McElroy the director of Smac Studio, utilises blush pinks, subdued beiges, and airy neutrals throughout the home to instil a luxe serenity.
The busy family clients of the home desired a welcoming, calming, sanctuary like home that reflected their family and personalities. The young couple have two young daughters, with a third baby girl on the way as the project went underway.
With a mostly female family, the home exudes a soft feminime energy, with an up-market, glamorous touch yet harmonious and zen feel.
The home shows off an array of materiality and textures, with vast marble floors, stained timber and velvet carpets. ‘Originally the client talked about doing marble floors through the whole house. Even though I love marble, the client loves marble, everyone loves marble, there is a point of restraint. For it to be beautiful you can’t have it literally everywhere or you end up with the Taj Mahal,’ Shona giggles.
To balance the home, they opted for timber flooring throughout some of the spaces as it brings a warmness and homely cosiness.
The hero of the home is its powder room. Boasting a Palladian marble with pink and bronze veining, it contrasts the perfect blush walls and bronze tap ware. ‘I was leaning into the femme energy of the family with the blush tones. Bronze also manages to be simultaneously classic and modern - which speaks to the entire design of this house.’
The home’s textural palette is very plush, with fuzzy chairs, velvet carpets and soft furnishings. Photo: Anson Smart
‘Originally the client talked about doing marble floors through the whole house, but we ended up feeling that timber would be more inviting. Photo: Anson Smart
“The bathroom space is very harmonious, functional, and really gorgeous place to be. It’s my favourite room in the house, and to be honest, it’s my favourite bathroom I’ve ever designed.”
Varying levels of the home’s namesake, blush, are used in a multitude of iterations, creating differing depths and variety of materiality and texture. Photo: Anson Smart
Spread over multiple levels, the generous home is mostly comprised of lighter elements, emphasised further by the incoming natural light that illuminates throughout. Photo: Anson Smart
The home features a grand bathroom on the upper floor, with an oversized bath and its antique Murano glass sconce lights, this space speaks luxury.
Shona was involved not only in the interior designing of this space but also its construction stage, where she chose to replace its previously petite windows with floor-to-ceiling fluted glass which she covered with delicate, sheer curtains to soften the natural light.
‘It’s my favourite room in the house, and honestly, it’s my favourite bathroom I’ve ever designed. It's so calming, luxurious and expensive, like you could just have a bath in there with candles for hours on end’ says Shona.
This home is reflective of the people who live here and how they like to live. They have a large extended family who often come to visit, and to fit within the small home, Smac Studio’s design had to pack a punch.
To cater for entertaining, they installed a lengthy bench seat across from the island bench, and large glass sliding doors to create a flowing connection from inside to out.
Shona designed open shelving in the kitchen as a small personal touch for the family’s treasured ceramic collection that they collect from their overseas travels. ‘Displaying these collections adds personality to the home. It’s not cold. Nor sterile. It’s certainly a home. It’s a place with a lot of personality.’
First Blush is a catalyst for the owners’ next chapter. Smac Studio have created a home of lasting warmth and resonance, well positioned to age gracefully along with its occupants.
‘We did a wall of mirrors in this space to make it feel a lot bigger. It's a very harmonious, functional, and really gorgeous place to be.’ Photo: Anson Smart
Little attention to detail like the tap ware and handles throughout the home are all bronze. Photo: Anson Smart