Australia's top interior designers tell us their dream home features

A conservatory, fir floorboards, or a solid marble bath. Who doesn’t dream of those luxe design features that can make a home  complete. We asked leading interior experts what features they dream of.

1. Sonia Simpfendorfer, creative director, Nexus Designs

Sonia Simpfendorfer dreams of a sunlit marble bathroom.

Douglas fir solid timber floorboards

“This old Danish family sources the Douglas fir sustainably from Germany’s Black Forest. The boards can be up to 15 metres long and 450 millimetres wide so they can run the entire length or width of rooms or corridors. The ultimate experience is to go into the forest with their foresters and choose your own trees. I adore the soap finish. So simple to maintain, smells good, and never needs the refinishing dramas of conventional finishes. These boards would unify all the rooms of my house, and I’d take them outside too for ultimate seamless flow.”

Marble bathroom

“I dream of a sunlit bathroom completely finished in slabs of honed white Carrara marble, with tapware in a brushed nickel finish. I love using one material for floor and walls in bathrooms because it unifies and simplifies. A honed finish on stone makes it feel almost velvety, and Carrara marble is an enduring classic. This bathroom would start the day with calm and the luxury of simplicity. Nickel is a subtle upgrade to brushed stainless for tapware.”

Sleek sandalwood walk-in wardrobes

“I don’t know if this is even possible, but I’m willing to try. I love the idea of the wonderful natural fragrance of sandalwood keeping any bugs from my vintage woollens. I despair at the number of closed-in, airless wardrobes there are out there. Clothes deserve better than that.”

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2. Lucy Fenton, designer, Fenton & Fenton

Lucy Fenton in her Balaclava home.

Sunken living area

“Evolving out of the mid-century conversation pit, a sunken lounge adds social functionality and extra dimensionality to a living area. My dream living area is an open expanse, and the sunken living area is a way of breaking up this space into zones.”

Internal courtyard

“I love greenery and this space would serve as an additional area for entertaining. An internal courtyard also helps to create a calming space within the home, to quiet my mind after a hectic day.”

Butler’s pantry

“This handy little area would allow me to remove most of the clutter and machinery out of the kitchen. My dream kitchen is not only a highly functional space, but also aesthetically pleasing. A butler’s pantry is essential in achieving that.”

Home studio

“I dream of having a glassed-in separate structure at the base of the garden filled with natural light and surrounded by lush vegetation to function as my office. It would be fitted out with all the necessities of a creative hub, plenty of storage, desk space, sound system and a cosy couch to procrastinate on!”

3. Camilla Molders, interior designer, Camilla Molders Design

Camilla Molders would love an incredibly beautiful sound system.

Conservatory

“I would love a conservatory to sit and eat my breakfast in. It would overlook a beautiful garden, with a constant supply of fresh fragrant flowers on the table in front of me. Heaven.”

Kitchen steamer

“My perfect kitchen would feature a chef-quality steamer built into the bench top. It would make cooking an easy and low-maintenance dream.”

Italian marble console

“A dreamy Italian marble console is a simple, elegant and gorgeous piece I would adore to own. I know I would never lose my keys if I had it sitting beside my door.”

Beautiful sound system

“My house is always filled with music, so an incredibly beautiful sound system, preferably one encased in walnut or a beautiful timber, is a great way to make the music look as beautiful as it sounds.”

4. Suzanne Gorman, designer, Studio Gorman

Suzanne Gorman in her Willoughby home. Photo: Zan Wimberley

Storage

“Storage is my number one important luxury element. How dreamy to have a place for everything, with miles and miles of storage in well-designed joinery. My house would become a living machine, so functional and operational it would mean I could just leave the beautiful things on show.”

Timber floors  

“I dream of timber floors in the very best quality possible. Floors are a dominant feature of the home so they need to be beautiful so you fall in love with them every time you step inside your home.”

Floaty linen drapes

“Every dreamy master suite deserves beautiful fine linen curtains that float in the breeze and make Sunday morning lie-ins a sensory experience. Belgian linen is definitely worth the investment.”