Soft Lines

Plateau Project is the stunning family home of Phoebe Ghorayeb and photographer Georges Antoni, who migrated to the scenic suburb of Bilgola Plateau in Sydney’s northern beaches, from Bondi Beach, to provide extra space and a free-range lifestyle for their three young children. 

Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the lush Garigal National Park, the picturesque suburb offered the perfect blend of natural beauty, wide open spaces and the welcoming community lifestyle that they sought. With family being the biggest motivation, Phoebe and Georges set out to transform the existing 1960s home into an inviting and plentiful space, designed to house the five family members with the possibility of hosting  up to 18 if required. 

The renovation and extension have been delivered over three levels and feature four bedrooms, including a guest bedroom, living room, guest living room, laundry, office, TV room and landscaped gardens complete with Mediterranean inspired swimming pool, lounge and BBQ area. 

“Most of all this house was designed and created to be the house that our children want to come home to and our family want to visit,” says Phoebe. “We wanted a home that would be able to sleep everyone for occasions such as Christmas and Easter and I also wanted a great reason for my family to keep coming from Europe.” 

Curves are a defining feature at Plateau Project, with an existing soft circular stairway that connected the ground floor to the lower level granny flat. The couple worked closely with Rama Architects to design the home, incorporating curved structural elements, bringing a sense of femininity alongside the home’s existing, more masculine, clean, straight-lined features. 

“Curves and soft lines play a big part in our overall design to give our modernist home a more feminine touch,” says Phoebe. “We wanted the house to be equally masculine and feminine which we’ve achieved by retaining its modernist vibe while at the same time celebrating and duplicating the juxtaposed curved staircase throughout.” 

From the outset, Phoebe and Georges made a conscious decision to maintain the original ‘60s, mid-century modern vibe of the house, which sits on top of Bilgola Plateau on the northern edge of the Angophora Reserve. Replicating the original floor to ceiling window structure ensured they were able to capitalise on the magical views that the Plateau delivers. 

“Two of the most important features in our home are the 4.3m high ceilings and oversized windows in our living area and the wall-to wall windows in all the bedrooms,” says Phoebe. 

The choice of curtains and blinds was critical to enhancing these features, with Luxaflex Sheer curtains selected in the Orlane fabric and coordinated with Luxaflex Duette Shades. 

“The floor to ceiling sheers in our living room are a showstopper and help accentuate the ceiling height,” Phoebe continues. “The sheer linen material gives us enough privacy when closed but also allows us to catch glimmers of the sunset and silhouettes of the birds, which keeps us connected to the stunning outdoors – it’s almost like looking at nature through a soft filter.” 

In sharp contrast to the modern features and clean lines of the windows, softly flowing Luxaflex Sheer curtains make a strong interior statement. Teamed with the sheer curtains is Luxaflex Duette Shades, allowing for privacy, light control and energy efficiency. 

“Being north facing, the home required window furnishings to help control the light and heat of the day. We were also a big stickler for the tones, colours and textures used in the house so we were stoked when we found a cool textured blind that exactly matched our wall colours. It was a match made in window covering heaven,” says Phoebe. 

As well as adding an element of style, Luxaflex Duette Shades have a unique honeycomb structure which traps air, providing a layer of insulation to help keep the home’s interior warmer in winter and cooler in summer. 

“When we were choosing finishes, furnishings and appliances for this project we really looked for the perfect combination of quality, functionality and uncompromised aesthetics and design – Luxaflex window coverings were the perfect combination. But the clincher for us was the electronic bending tracks for the automated curtains around our curved windows. This was such an important contributor to our choice in window coverings.”

 Plateau Project has been finished using micro-cement on the floors and ceilings and to create structural features such as columns and arches, amplifying the fluid experience and providing warmth and a homely feel to the spacious property. The texture and tone of the home is simple and monochrome and the homeowners wanted to incorporate as many natural materials as possible, such as render, stone, travertine, wood and linen alongside the creamy vanilla tones. 

Interior stylist Lara Hutton has brought Phoebe and Georges’ vision to life through high-end furnishings, artwork and appliances. Lara also created bespoke pieces for the home. Every individual element has been lovingly considered, brass accents work throughout the bathrooms and kitchen bringing personality and a natural lived-in feel. The voluminous and inviting organic shapes of the main living room have an ‘other worldly’ feel while the main bedroom has been layered in variations of the same creamy tones. 

Like most homes, the kitchen is the beating heart and Phoebe and Georges have created a connected space, which fits seamlessly into the layout of the home. Bespoke kitchen bench ends were crafted in a curvaceous design, which overflows to the adjacent curved breakfast seating area. For the exterior, brickwork was a key consideration and forms the foundation of the home, not only in structure but also aesthetic, where a light render has been applied so the shapes and lines of the bricks are visible. 

The pool area has been designed to be minimal, simple and inviting. Connectedness is key to the home in all aspects and an integral piece of the design story was to build in as many opportunities for laughter, connection, warmth and love as possible. 

“Seeing the family navigate and use the space while we are all at home is the best aspect of this home. Everyone can carve out their own area but still, somehow, we are all together. It’s unusual in that way but wonderful,” says Phoebe.