After a visit to the property, Justine Knox submitted a questionnaire to get an insight into the needs and lifestyle of the villa’s potential occupants. She then created a mood board and presented a budget outlining the suggested furniture, décor items and minor modifications to be made.
The brief was to create a holiday home for grown-up families that spoke of luxury elegance throughout.
The first challenge became giving meaning and harmony to the long ground floor living area, an open plan space occupying the full frontal section of the property. Once the purpose of each area had been defined – kitchen, dining and lounge—Justine chose light caramel as the running theme along all spaces: sandstone marble countertop on the kitchen island, light oak for the dining table and coffee table, all the way to the sandy tones reflected in the artwork. The overall effect of this subtle but compelling decision was all spaces linked together by a sense of flow and warmth. Furthermore, in her pursuit of harmonious definition of this area, she asked for a partition wall to be added between the entrance lobby and the dining space in order to add intimacy to the dining area and provide focal point opposite the front door. Lighting elements were added to covings and lamps overhanging the chrome and oak dining table and the kitchen island. A touch of glamour was added by the use of antique mirror as the kitchen back-splash.
Further hints of glitz were introduced in the stunning pearl-inset paisley patterned wallpaper on the stairwell walls, enhanced by low level staircase tread LEDs and crowned by a stunning overhanging cascade of silver and gold glass bulbs.
Upstairs she added a second lounge space, featuring comfortable furniture and soft tones and fabrics, as well as artwork reflecting the relaxing mint and sand palette with fuchsia accents. Justine opted for radically different colour themes for the bedrooms. One of the bedrooms features a deep-button tufted magenta velvet king size bed matched with multi-coloured corner armchairs and Missoni coverlets and cushions, spelling both opulence and comfort. In contrast, another bedroom is a relaxing display of sand, white and soft coral pink tones; yet another is soft oatmeal and aqua. The goal was to ensure that the bedrooms evoked a luxurious, relaxing and elegant feel, while preserving the unique personality of each one.
Outside, the anthracite grey and neutrals of the building’s structural elements have been replicated in the terrace furniture, which is easy to mix and match to suit every social occasion. The ivory toned upholstery is brightened up with multi-coloured leaf pattern pillows of different sizes.
The ‘Moderne’ architectural style of this property meant there was an abundance of straight lines. Justine decided to counteract the angularity of the spaces by introducing curved shapes in the ceiling lamps, bar stools, vases and even in the outdoor rattan furniture. This is a villa where the interior décor has made the most of the space and light, by enhancing its structure with sumptuous sophistication.