Simone Haag | Poynton II
Soft textural pieces fill the home of Simone Haag, in her second renovation to make way for her growing family.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson | Photography: Derek Swalwell
Photo - Derek Swalwell.
Simone Haag and her husband Rhys moved into their Melbourne outer-east modernist dream home in 2011, since then the house has welcomed a brighter look and three little additions: Goldie, five, Clover, three, and Juniper, ten months.
The designer employed Kennedy Nolan for the second renovation, taking an unused balcony area and extending their ‘petite’ lounge room into “a true entertaining space where four couples could easily hang out.” New floor plans and additions, like being able to excess the backyard without having to ‘traipse’ through the laundry, the ‘grown up’ built-in cabinetry, the custom-made rattan joinery by S R & O., and a very handy extra bathroom for the family of five.
Vintage gems sit alongside the newly designed elements such as the custom-made rattan joinery by S R & O. Photo - Derek Swalwell.
“Nothing was excessive; everything was done with integrity and honesty… we couldn’t be more thankful that we didn’t try to sell up and look elsewhere,” says Simone Haag of the second renovation. Photo - Derek Swalwell.
Together with the builders, Design Orr Build, practicality balanced the aesthetics. The Dandenongs views have been maximised, which can now be appreciated in the living area thanks to the removal of the extra, unused deck. And the couple now starts their day in their new master suite looking out to just a canopy of trees, with no other houses in sight.
“I enjoy hearing the stories embedded in the objects themselves, how they’ve passed from hand to hand… I’m interested in authenticity, character and originality.”
Simone’s home is a testament to her personal style, evoking a vintage Italian sensibility and lots more useable space! Unusually for the interior designer, the second renovation became about embracing beige. But to avoid repetition, the designer offset the clean surfaces with worldly miscellanea and a little “80’s grove.” The new wall paint transformed the space from being anything but plain. Charcoal Grey on the panelled walls in the living room and Night Moves from Haymes Paint in the master suite, turning it into a vintage green oasis.
Photo - Derek Swalwell.
“My philosophy when… you come across something so perfect (particularly if it’s vintage) is that you acquire it no matter how – I am talking beg, borrow or steal.”
It was on a trip to Sydney where she met Don Cameron and a Sorianna sofa that led the designer to her pivotal design moment — meeting over a shared love of Vico Magistretti, Afra and Tobia Scarpa and Osvaldo Borsani to Mario Bellini and Cesare Cassina. As Simone shares Don’s own words, “pieces of that era move beyond the practical to explore ideas that were spatial, emotional, intellectual.”
“How do you know you have found the piece? Because what you find you know will be the leading lady, the main part, the heroine of your scheme.”
The Sorianna sofa in the living space, the hero piece which dictated the look and feel of the rest of the interior. Photo - Derek Swalwell.
“[The key is] really not overthinking things too much, pieces maybe have worked here – maybe not – but they all find their forever home someday,” shares Simone Haag. Photo - Derek Swalwell.
This serendipitous meeting with the vintage furniture dealer allowed Simone to layer the Italian vibes throughout, all while hero-ing the stunning couch. As with the bones of the house, the renovation continues the theme of using objects (and buildings) with a story. The designer began a narrative around the couch, adding texture and history with Den Holm brutalist sculptures, the Reflections Copenhagen’ Eye of the Tiger’ mirror from Jardan, an Italian marble table peppered with combination cane, and chrome chairs and ceramics of that era. “You start to have this lovely tableau within a very Australian setting,” the designer muses, “such a refreshing combination.”
The master bedroom painted in Night Moves from Haymes Paint. Photo - Derek Swalwell.
Clean lines and simple details in the joinery and fittings. Photo - Derek Swalwell.
“We extended the home in three ways – and kudos to Kennedy Nolan – but all three changes have been, well, life-changing.”
The new master bedroom bathroom. Photo - Derek Swalwell.
Practical design highlights include the ‘grown up’ built-in cabinetry in the bathroom. Photo - Derek Swalwell.