What does an interior designer do when a client gives their studio carte blanche? For Chelsea Hing, she didn’t hesitate to flex her creative muscles — and for her client, it was a massive relief.
“I don't think they mind me saying they were floundering,” says Chelsea of her clients, soon-to-be empty nesters in the city of Bendigo, about two and a half hours outside Melbourne. By the time the project landed on Chelsea’s doorstep, the modern home was partially built, but had also exchanged a number of hands, architecturally, without a singular vision to finesse the final stage. With so many people and trades involved (but no one steering the ship), it was nearing completion without a steady hand, and the clients were keen to hand over control.
Chelsea took the reins, and along with it plenty of design risks. The home itself sits on a corner site, leaving it exposed to major streets. From the get-go, the idea was to create an inward plan that prioritized privacy, shifting the focus away from the hectic surroundings.
Emboldened with creative freedom and a trusting client, some of those changes were easy, like adding more skylights (without adding more views of the streets). But others required some emotional intelligence: the owners craved a home that offered space for connection — and plenty of privacy — for their family.
Part of the existing structural plan that connected many rooms, a double-height void ran the risk of feeling like a thoroughfare. "It really was the challenge of the home, but also that challenge became this wonderful opportunity," says Chelsea, who reshaped the space into a cacoon-like environment.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the locus of the project is a central double-height void that connects both stories. Bedrooms are located on either side, and the original plan made those connections a bit too obvious and abrupt — wide open doorways leading to more doorways.
"When we came in, we felt that we could make substantial changes to all that internal planning and how the house felt," says Chelsea Hing.
The first bit of course-correction was to hide those passageways on the main level, making the modern living room area feel less porous and more like a cocoon. Chelsea's studio concealed the doorways with dark timber joinery and built the fireplace into the wall to make it more discreet.
With lighter timber plaiting used across the ceiling (which wraps around and continues as flooring on the second level), the darker tones create drama while grounding the space (which includes a plush, intimate seating area).
It was slightly counterintuitive to use darker materials to create a cozier feel, but the choice paid off. "It sort of hugs the space," says Chelsea.
Features that 'embrace' quickly became somewhat of a theme throughout the home.
In the main room alone, a clean-lined niche perfectly fits an artwork by To Polo, hugging all four corners, while Chelsea created a pocket seating area out of dead space next to a large window.
Even the entryway features a curved wall, cupping the moment of arrival and adding a sense of discovery before entering the double-height room beyond.
Those subtle yet bold choices continue throughout the home, especially in the owner’s primary suite on the second level.
Cheslea's studio started by removing a small study from the architectural plans in order to increase the suite’s footprint, allowing for more generous features, like a walk-in wardrobe.
"I think the reason why we've been able to achieve this result is that we've had a client who supported and trusted us through the course of all of those conversations," says Chelsea of the daring bathroom design.
But the real showstopper is the ensuite, designed more like a spa. Instead of tiles across the walls and floor, Chelsea’s studio opted to cover surfaces in microcement. Less clinical than the hardwearing materials often seen in bathrooms, it creates a seamless, uninterrupted look that lets other elements — like a marble backsplash and a sculptural round tub — really stand out.
“When you're pushing the boundaries of materials and finishes, you've got to have a client who's got the appetite to do that, because it can be fairly unfamiliar,” admits Chelsea.
Adding sculptural qualities throughout the home played a major role in Chelsea's design process. "It's not just a painting — there's not a two-dimensional flatness," she says of the ethereal artwork by Ryan Hoffmann.
Elsewhere throughout the home, sculptural elements add visual interest by way of textural art and fixtures. In an upstairs living space that doubles as a theater room, Chelsea chose an artwork by Australian artist Ryan Hoffmann (she owns some of his work herself) to inject gentle dimensions into an otherwise rectangular layout.
“There's a sculptural element to the piece, which I think you can see repeated through a lot of our choices throughout the home,” says Chelsea. “We were getting things to kind of lift off the page, if you like.”
Those choices are mirrored elsewhere with plaster sconces that pop up in several areas, adding ethereal tones and textures. “It's the scale, too,” says Chelsea of the deliberately oversized fixtures. “The house is large, and it needed a lot of larger-scale, big, gutsy gestures throughout.”
And yet the overall feel, and what Chelsea's studio feels it succeeded in creating — thanks to the willingness of the clients to let her studio do what it does best — leads back to the sense of intimacy, cohesion, and connection the home creates for the family.
"Creating a home is so much more than just the built space," adds Chelsea. "There's this emotional quality to how you feel in spaces, and I don't think even the clients anticipate what that's going to be like."
Now that it's complete, the bold and risky design choices Chelsea was able to inject into the home offer more than just aesthetics. There are just as many moments for togetherness as there are for privacy. Once the clients moved in, a comment from one of the owners summed up the result: “I feel held.”