Take a tropical holiday at home

With views to Pittwater on one side and Palm Beach on the other, this once-humble 1950s bungalow deserved a modern, Sydney-style makeover. So the owners called in Sarah Davison of Ara Design Studio to “make it look like a solid, Hawaiian resort”, she recalls.

Davison worked closely with Marchese Partners architects, who reconfigured the interior spaces, even drawing the dimensions of the furniture on the floor plans to ensure the proportions of the rooms would feel just right when the family moved in (a smart tip for any would-be renovator).

Davison says: “We wanted to make sure that the interiors were really functional, so that the master bedroom would still feel large and luxurious with a king bed in it and in the dining room, if they had 15 people to dinner, that they could seat them all quite comfortably.”

It’s a house where everything is scaled up. There are even grand, oversized fireplaces. “The builder joked you could roast pigs in them!” Davison says.

The scale alone conveys a sense of luxury. Davison then furnished these spaces to convey the island resort flavour the owners were seeking, by choosing lots of warm wood and granite – a volcanic stone for a subtle Hawaiian influence.

And there’s lots of ambient lighting that gives the rooms a soothing, sensuous mood at night.

The result, indeed, has all the seductive charm of a luxury resort. “It’s impressive without being flashy,” Davison says. “The aim is to make it timeless, a design that doesn’t go out of fashion.”

And we’re sure there is no shortage of family and friends willing to stay over for a weekend.

Bed time

Davison planned the bedroom carefully so that even with a king-sized bed it still feels luxuriously proportioned. The bed, with its timber headboard, is in solid walnut and was bought in New York. The textures in this room are designed to play off each other — the rustic, vintage Moroccan rug on the floor is a foil to white bedlinen, the walnut bed and the leather-panelled wall. Old French, green glass-bottle lamps with white shades, the sculptural armchairs and a large plant add lightness. The vintage armchairs and table were sourced in Los Angeles.

Luxe living

The family room/kitchen has spectacular beach views from the window seat. But it’s the warm woods and generous proportions Davison has used that give it the sense of serenity and luxe living. The elliptical Paracas dining table is from Beclau and Davison sourced the iconic 1950s Haines chairs from Los Angeles.

A modern temple

Temple doors sourced from Architectural & Antique Elements in Leichhardt open to the home-theatre room. “They give a wonderful sense of anticipation but it was quite a job making them light- and soundproof on the back,” Davison says.

Resort style

White, washable, slip-covered furniture is perfect for laid-back living. Davison sourced the original 1950s armchairs from Rodney de Soos, of Take 2 Decor. Meanwhile, instead of regular bi-fold doors, a bank of large glass doors that open to the main dining terrace adds a sense of grandeur. If you look closely, you will also see a solid-teak door that slides into a cavity and leads to the study. This sleek design is repeated throughout the house. A granite antique Chinese table is a strong, sturdy touch — and is a great hiding space for the subwoofer speaker.

All aglow

Character lamps throughout the house create an enveloping night-time glow. “Lamplight is so much more beautiful and relaxing in houses than overhead lighting,” Davison says. She bought this vintage 1950s driftwood lamp with woven palm shade in LA. “Americans have done lamps really well for many, many decades. We are just catching up here, I think.” The cushions are part of the all-weather indoor/outdoor Big Island range from Donghia, available through trade professionals, from South Pacific Fabrics.

Useful addresses

Sarah Davison, Ara Design Studio, 9331 7810, aradesignstudio.com.au.

Beclau, 15/198 Young Street, Waterloo, 9698 6422, beclauhomewares.com.au.

Take 2 Decor, 285 O’Sullivan Road, Bellevue Hill, 9300 8700.

South Pacific Fabrics, 195 Paddington Street, Paddington, 9327 7222, southpacificfabrics.com.

Architectural & Antique Elements, 124 James Street, Leichhardt, 9560 3067, elements.net.au.