It’s not every day that an interior designer commissions a vivid mural for a garage, but there’s nothing ‘everyday’ about design practice, Sally Caroline. The original installation by Australian artist Ash Keating is just one example of how the studio bends creative boundaries to bring spirited, evocative and artful style to homes all over the world. Case in point: this playful yet elegant beachside home in Melbourne with panoramic views, owned by a couple with two young daughters.
“The clients are very family-focused and wanted to create a sense of adventure for their children, and to make the house a fun place to entertain friends,” says Sally Knibbs, the studio's director. The globetrotting Aussie entrepreneurs nabbed the relatively new three-storey house while living in the US. “They loved the waterfront location and imagined at some point they’d come back to Melbourne,” Sally adds.
Having worked together on previous projects, the couple entrusted Sally to inject the angular and monochromatic modern home with oodles of color and personality. “They like to push the limits and flex design muscles,” Sally Knibbs says of her clients. “It was also important to maximize the views, which we did by bringing the first-floor kitchen forward, so it could have a stronger relationship with the water.”
Three types of marble — Brescia Green, Menta, and Arabescato — combine to form the sculptural, showstopping kitchen island bench. Its solid, undulating curves mirror the waves outside and it even appears to ‘pool’ on the floor.
As the first thing you notice as you emerge from the stairs, it’s one of the many ways Sally softened the hard edges of the modern architecture. “The tall section of the island bench also conceals the sink a little, so that was strategic,” she laughs.
Another bold choice is floor-to-ceiling stainless steel kitchen joinery, which also conceals a green onyx-backed bar on the dining room side. “The stainless steel’s orbital finish is just beautiful; it's been hand-crafted in a circular motion with a soft ‘whoosh’ to it,” Sally explains. “This kitchen is one of my favorites. The scullery, the Gaggenau appliances, the stone… it’s probably my proudest achievement.”
The first floor, featuring the kitchen, dining, lounge, study, and primary suite, is elegant and “grown-up,” Sally says. “There's still color there, such as the burgundy and pink of the India Mahdavi rug, but it feels calmer and more mature.”
The main bedroom is understated and tranquil, save for a pop of color in the custom Daniel Poole leather-wrapped bedside unit.
Downstairs, on the other hand, is where the party’s at. Sally removed a bedroom to accommodate a sprawling ground-floor rumpus room for entertaining, listening to vinyl, or sharking opponents at the billiards table, which doubles as a ping pong table.
Atop a pebble-shaped custom Halycon Lake rug — giving main-character energy — is Edra’s Boa sofa, a sumptuous woven ‘nest’ of 120 meters of soft tubing. Perfect for reading or sipping a cocktail — provided you don’t spill it.
“The Boa typically comes in strong colors, such as purple and lime green, but I wanted upholstery in keeping with the beautiful oceanic blues and greens outside,” Sally explains of her choice of this iconic sofa. She’s also deftly punctuated the room with mirrors that bounce ocean reflections around the room.
The Calacatta Romano-lined bar is bookended by peach-colored mirrors, a hand-poured mirror artwork by Cordon Salon sits between the picture windows, and a structural column — unearthed during demolition — has been wrapped in lucent stainless steel.
As for the nebulous mural in the garage, the client has an affinity for color and cars, so asking Ash Keating to create a backdrop for his wheels was a no-brainer. The Sally Caroline team relish in “matchmaking” clients with artists. “This client and Ash were a perfect fit for each other,” Sally says.
Other artworks include a resplendent Perspex piece by Dale Frank in the foyer, and a tattooed bureau by New York-based artist Tyler Hays in the rumpus.
“He hand-paints pieces so they’re unique. Even the bronze hardware has little leaf motives engraved into them,” Sally says. “If I could take one thing out of this project and put it in my house, that's what I would take.”
Needless to say, the clients are thrilled with their playfully sophisticated Melbourne bolthole, which was completed on time and within the budget — no easy feat when a designer is working with such high-end, finicky custom finishes.
“It’s a testament to Sally Caroline’s exceptional project management skills,” the clients say. “The attention to detail is remarkable — every room feels thoughtfully curated, reflecting both elegance and comfort.”
Not to mention fun.
