Mediterranean-Inspired Home With Moroccan Elements

A classical French-style home in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill was remodelled for a stylish young family. Now this is a little piece of the Mediterranean, and sheltered from view at the end of a long driveway in Bellevue Hill, the house itself is like a hidden oasis.

Lush and green, the surrounding gardens play a vital role in creating a resort-like feel. The house already had a well-established garden, and the owners required to add cacti and succulents to the seating area and palms and white bougainvillea to the entry, where vines were removed so the house could be painted in crisp white.

One of the most eye-catching features you can find inside the home is tadelakt, a Moroccan plaster effect. The rooms that feature this irregular surface, from the open kitchen to each of the four bathrooms, were worked on one at a time and evolved as they were completed by hand.

Apart from the kitchen, the layout remained intact. The fifth bedroom also became a playroom for girls, conveniently adjacent to the more relaxed lounge room and home office.

The home is a melting pot of the owners’ travels and virtual trips via Pinterest and Instagram. She layered secondhand and recycled furniture with lighting and objects found at The Country Trader and Orient House, a great source for the African pieces that are a nod to her South African heritage. To stay in sync with the Mediterranean holiday mood, rustic elements were added throughout.

The front door has been stripped back and left raw at the owner’s request, and she dressed up all existing and new joinery with cupboard fronts made of recycled strips of timber, the internal shutters were also built.