Tour a Completely Trippy Pink and Purple Melbourne House in Which Artwork Deco Components Shine
When Greg Natale got the call for a new project in Melbourne, the Australia–based interior designer was on a research trip to Paris. Surrounded by the magic of the City of Light—so many arches and swaths of maroon—inspiration was not difficult to come by. The owners of the residence, who run a luxury watch and jewelry business, fittingly requested the lavish use of jewel tones—particularly pink and maroon—after seeing the latter’s rich application on the walls of Natale’s own apartment.
The brief for the 4,000-square-foot penthouse apartment in the elite Melbourne suburb of Toorak included bringing a sense of grandeur to an otherwise uninspiring minimalist shell. The sprawling space started as a spec apartment, so it presented an incredibly clean slate. “But that also meant it was neutral. My clients aren’t neutral people,” Natale says. “They’re a young couple, and they’re open to a lot of new ideas.”
Taking the owners’ love of rich and varied hues, and the beautiful gleam of brass, Natale began a process of luxe layering and embellishing over the original space. New elements included a dramatic mirrored entry, a series of arches to form different spaces, and the additions of a fireplace, joinery, kitchen benchtops, bathroom vanities, finishes, and furnishings throughout. Blush-painted ceilings make for an intimate setting while picking up the slight pink tones of the light oak floors. On the walls, fluted white lacquer panelling adds luxurious detail and evokes the spirit of ‘80s-era *Dynasty–*style glamour.
Pink comes into its own in the dining room, which features Gucci Heron wallpaper, and creates a delicate cocooning effect in the wallpaper of the guest bedroom and in the lacquered joinery and pink marble wallpaper of the dressing room. “My favorite is the dining room. The Gucci wallpaper is so elegant, but it’s also useful,” Natale says. He admits that pink is easily his favorite color, too. In the bathroom vanities, kitchen benchtops, and backsplashes—and with the living room fireplace—pink tones come courtesy of the striking materiality of Calacatta Viola marble. Maroon enriches the palette with lacquered joinery in the kitchen and lacquered fluting in the living room and primary bedroom. “The millwork relates to the owners’ jewelry business too. The same builder in their home also did their shops,” Natale says.
Maroon patterned wallpaper brings with it a luxurious feel to the powder room. In the primary suite a lacquered maroon door opens to reveal a change of pace thanks to black, gray, and white mosaic tiles from Bisazza laid in a chain link pattern. Accidentally, it makes for a playful reference to the owners’ business.
Beyond the shared affinity in terms of tones, the clients were also keen on finding a designer who could easily incorporate their already existing Jonathan Adler furniture into their new space. So, with a foreword written by Adler in Natale’s book, The Tailored Interior, it was another obvious match. “Jonathan likes when I reupholster and reinvent his work,” Natale says. He introduced a mix of vintage and contemporary pieces to work with the existing Jonathan Adler furniture.
The final element to the design was establishing a grand sense of entry, which Natale expressed by creating a hall of mirrored panels and arches. With sculptural Kelly Wearstler lights and a pink-and-gray postmodern Art Deco rug beneath the gray textured wallpaper on the ceiling, the effect is mesmerizing and suitably sultry at once. The end result strongly relays the love of luxury and glamour—for the owners and for Natale.
