"Dreaming Up Modern Day Interpretations of a 70s Vibe" Was the Designer's Favorite Part of Creating This Laid-Back Aussie Home — It's a Masterclass in Styling Room Dividers
Designed by the renowned interior design and architecture studio YSG, this exuberant family home is both grounding and playful
This relaxing, grounding, and beautifully connected 70s-inspired home was designed for a family of four in Byron Bay, New South Wales, by acclaimed interior design and architecture studio YSG. Explaining the home's location, Yasmine Ghoneim, director of YSG Studio, shares, "It’s a bit of a wellness mecca in the sense that you’ll find plenty of yoga and meditation retreats in the rolling hills dotting its hinterland, which is green all year," she says.
"Plus, the surf’s pretty legendary, so it attracts lots of creatives searching for some inner peace and a work/play balance. Despite its inevitable development over the past 15 years, it still retains its incredible escapist charm that’s magical."
And it's this 'escapist charm' that is so wholly felt throughout the surprising and playful design of this expressive modern home. As well as a unique interplay of pattern, texture, and light, there is real mastery in the clever use of room dividers to zone spaces, create privacy, and add thoughtful design moments with a touch of drama.
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"In response to requests for breakout spaces, plus generous entertaining zones on the entry level, we constructed an angled wall beside the window (avoiding ceiling attachment) to cozy a neglected rectangular space," explains Yasmine Ghoneim. "It also conceals views of entry points to a bedroom and bathroom from the dining and lounge areas."
The epic hopper-style porthole window is a standout feature in the open-plan living space was used in place of sliding doors, and adds a great deal of character. As does the unique angled wall, both aesthetically and functionally, which cleverly conceals internal doors to private rooms while being a design statement in its own right.
"We were also inspired by the parallel stripes that appeared on streetwear in the seventies (like tracksuit pants)," says Yasmine. "When we replaced the heavy internal timber doors with lighter white ones on both levels, we aligned them via vertical timber ‘seams’ for tonal contrast." And it's details such as these that really bring the whole space together.
"The clients wanted something laid back that wasn’t super white, and loved the feel of the seventies, so the home is grounded in browns," says Yasmine. "We steered away from deep mission brown tones, though, opting for warm caramel and toffee shades, including the new paved flooring downstairs in the open living area."
Eye-catching pieces like the mint-and-chocolate harlequin-patterned velveteen armchairs add pops of vibrant color and character, along with retro-inspired charm.
"We designed the timber dining table with two solid legs fixed at alternating angles (to be best appreciated from the lowered lounge)," explains Yasmine. "Their mismatched grains sync with the kitchen island’s striped veneer pedestal base, making the halos of chrome seating surrounding both zing."
"Aligning perfectly with the yin and yang sconces in the sunken lounge, we suspended an enormous custom moon fiberglass sphere to fill the void instead of sourcing something off the shelf to ensure the home retained its intrinsic uniqueness," says Yasmine.
Another undeniable standout feature of the home, the giant moon pendant anchors the sunken lounge and creates a wonderful and magical focal point. The angled planes of the embossed wallpaper also enhance the ceiling's pitch, drawing the eye up.
"A single chrome balustrade also frames our new seventies-inspired sunken lounge, keeping conversational connections open between the kitchen area and lounge," says Yasmine.
"A fixed screen conceals the kitchen scullery maintaining connections between the task areas and floating island, but concealing any food prep mess," explains Yasmine.
The modern kitchen was fully gutted, and its size was doubled, "adding a ‘front-of-house’ L-shaped counter configuration to our partially concealed galley," explains Yasmine.
The circular island, lined with pearlescent marble, makes for casual conversation and fluid movement, and the chrome balustrades — inspired by 'old school' skate parks — frame the seventies-inspired sunken lounge, Yasmine explains.
"Striped veneer joinery lengthens the arrangement," adds Yasmine, and the cone bar stools were covered in new Kvadrat silk jacquard weaves of exotic fronds.
Image credit: Prue Ruscoe. Design: YSG Studio
The chrome dining chairs were revived with shimmery citron upholstery, and the handwoven Polynesian wall hanging that adorns the wall next to the timber-framed screen adds to the wonderful contrast of patterns, colors, and textures.
Image credit: Prue Ruscoe. Design: YSG Studio
And it was the balustrade wrap that went on to guide the rest of the surrounding space. "It tethers the kitchen cupboards to a solid timber column, creating a casual leaning post for drinks around the kitchen's circular island," Yasmine explains.
"We added a bar-like chrome footrest to the circular island, too. Even kitchen cupboards feature chrome pulls entwined in soft brown leather with pops of pink stitching. We imagined our client and his mates knocking about in the kitchen space while someone is listening to music on the sunken lounge and having that really casual conversation between the rooms."
"Anchoring the sunken lounge, we coated our spacious molded L-shaped lounge with a pale sandstone-shaded micro-cement render that flows down to cover the room’s floor," explains Yasmine. "Unifying the home, this gently glistening render features on the kitchen walls and ceiling, in the primary suite (via the bedhead), plus the guest bathroom."
The sunken lounge, with its custom-built-in sofa, is Yasmine's favorite room in the home. "It’s a bit of a bohemian rhapsody, and it’s the centerpiece of the living area," she says. "I love the idea of descending into it to relax."
"The large wool and artsilk rug is one of our own designs, and its dusty pink and ocher shades really lift the space," she adds. "Adding a shag carpet would just be too clichéd. A vintage tiled Capron table crowns it, sitting nice and low like furniture did in the seventies, with a vintage denim-clad Cassina chair beside it. It feels fit for a seventies film set."
The delicate —but absolutely eye-catching — checkered wall mirror looks almost like a small stained-glass window at first glance, and is such a clever way to inject more light and interest into a space.
The use of low-slung furniture isn't just a nod to the seventies either; it's one of this year's biggest living room trends for effortlessly imbuing a sense of calm and relaxation. Comfort was a key factor in the design of this home, and the plumped, low-profile lounge chair and custom sunken sofa are the perfect pieces to create a warm, and inviting space.
The transition to cork flooring in the bedroom is part of the home's sensory journey — and in this space, it is to "stimulate a sense of sanctuary," says Yasmine.
The modern bedroom, with the clever division of the sleeping space and fitted wardrobes behind, uses the same micro-cement render for the headboard as the sunken sofa in the lounge.
Having the bed in the middle of the room is a hard layout to get right, but this space absolutely nails it, making the room look expansive, considered, and streamlined.
The mosaic checkered tiles are the perfect hue for adding a decorative detail that doesn't take over.
Image credit: Prue Ruscoe. Design: YSG Studio
All the details in this space are so different, yet they work in perfect harmony with one another.
Image credit: Prue Ruscoe. Design: YSG Studio
The step-up bathtub exudes a spa-like quality, together with warm neutral tones, creating a space that oozes timeless sophistication.
"Within the main bathroom, a contemporary LED artwork by Jeremy Kay (usually hung on walls) dances on the ceiling, adding a conversational party piece with a seventies disco floor vibe, given that smartphones can customise its color and pattern activation," explains Yasmine.
"Replacing sliding doors, we added an outdoor high seat ledge with expressive checkered tiles beyond the study/bar for morning coffees and evening drinks service for friends," says Yasmine.
"Creating more hang-out space, we added vertical timber battens to a slatted ceiling on the upper balcony’s lounge area that extends from the main bathroom," explains Yasmine. "It blocks exposure to prying neighbors by framing the room (also shading it from intense sunlight)."
And it's the checkerboard flooring that you see running throughout the home, in varying hues, that beautifully connects the spaces across both levels.
"Removing off-white, glossy floor tiles, square grids of terracotta pavers bound by thick grouting ground settings beneath the ceiling like classic milk chocolate bars on steroids," says Yasmine.
"Connecting levels, their outlines sync in smaller scale via the main bathroom’s checkered latte and wheat-shaded porcelain tiles, flowing onto the balcony lining the parents’ retreat. Transitioning to spongey cork underfoot in their bedroom (another seventies nod), they stimulate a sense of sanctuary." And that's ultimately what the whole house is — a wonderful sanctuary.
When I asked Yasmine what her favorite element of this project was, she answered: "Dreaming up modern day interpretations of a seventies vibe." She explained, "The seventies were all about taking it easy, and recreational time seemed far better balanced back then, before the digital age." And I couldn't agree more.
Shop the Look
An asymmetrical wall mirror is a great way to add instant interest to your modern bathroom design — this style also comes in a larger version.
This chess set brings coffee table styling to a whole new level and would make for a standout piece like the set in the conversational seating area of this home.
These diffuser wall lights are like pieces of art that look just as good off as they do on, bringing an effortlessly cozy glow to any space.
If you're looking to add some cozy living room pieces to your home, Habitat's Estelle Quilted Bean Bag would be a great choice, with a subtle nod to the 70s, too.
Recreate the glorious lunar light from the sunken lounge in your own home with Davide Groppi's Moon Pendant Light — sizes start at 60cm and go up to 200cm.
H&M's Textured Glass Vase is a chic way to style floral stems and foliage in any space — opt for something more tropical, like in this home, for a truly standout arrangement.
With the resurgence of 70s color palettes and modern interpretations of bygone eras, there’s a deep sense of the comfort in nostalgia. Now, more than ever, we are seeking to create homes for ourselves that prioritize comfort — personality-driven spaces that emulate warmth, character, and depth. This home does all this and more, and reminds us to embrace the beauty of quiet moments.
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