Few Australian studios handle color like Arent&Pyke. Since Juliette Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke founded their practice in 2007, they have built a reputation not only for beautifully layered interiors, but for a certain kind of chromatic intelligence—color is not used mindlessly, but with purpose, and with a deep understanding that the right hue in the right room has a real power to change moods, to make people feel at home, to treat and control their emotions at home. It is a symbol that has followed them through every project, every scale, in a nutshell. And at Golden Light, a residence on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, that creativity is on full display.
The summary was clear: a family of six—two parents, four children between the ages of three and eleven—had lived in this house for many years and loved it, but the home was not working well for the life they were living. The light was lost. The rooms feel neglected. The layout needed to be rethought to give four energetic children the freedom to roam while keeping them within easy reach of watchful eyes. Arent&Pyke’s response was to reimagine the home from floor to ceiling throughout the nearly 520 sqm interior, treating both the practical and the poetic as equally non-negotiable.
Garden House at Lindfield by Polly Harbison Design and Arent & Pyke.
The Garden House evokes a sense of calm and timelessness while dramatically reflecting the customers’ passion for gardens, art and color.
Local movement is confident. Arched entryways now mark both levels, many of which feature circular timbers and cathedral glass doors that connect formal entertaining rooms while channeling light between spaces—one featuring a direct view of the garden and pool from the front door. The once dark, boxed staircase was freed and reborn as a sculptural form followed by a solid wooden wall, which now animates the sunlight from above. Sweeping cornices connect the entry hall, dining area, and living rooms with peaceful authority.
Color is where the job gets even more fun. The living and dining rooms feature walls in a shade of marigold with mustard yellow undertones—a deep, sunny warmth that flows to a radiant basement and a pour-over bar lined with Libreria Del Vino wine racks and Calacatta Viola Antica marble. Toffee-infused research. Green forest explores children’s toilets. A gray border of custom carpet that steps down to meet the marble tumbling below. None of it reads as chosen, but as found. It’s as if the house always wanted to be like this.
The kitchen is the working heart of the home, and Arent&Pyke has treated it right. An endless palette of oak-stained fittings, Calacatta Borghini marble, and almond-colored concrete wrap the space, accented by custom sculptures that preside over the La Canche oven and cooktop—brass pans hang overhead like polished jewelry. The island bench is deep enough for meal prep and homework to happen at the same time, the bull’s-eye marble edge softening what could otherwise be read as weight.
Throughout, the studio’s arrangement of art and objects elevates the entire space. Works by James Drinkwater, Guido Maestri, Drew Connor Holland, Suzanna Archer, and Lottie Consalvo—mostly available through Nasha Gallery, NandaHobbs, Edwina Corlette, and Ames Yavuz—fix the multiple dimensions of these rooms while evoking the kind of question that good art always deserves. Vintage furniture and design classics (Cassina Bramante console, B&B Italia Camaleonda sofa, Pierre Chareau alabaster sconces) sit comfortably next to modern pieces, the whole design subscribing to what the studio calls the ‘last forever’ vision of modern design.
Above, light tones prevail. The primary suite is one of quiet romance. A custom headboard in a fabric spread with mushroom-pink petals and terracotta expands to accommodate two classic Deco bedside tables, while a classic armoire, its doors hand-painted with a triptych of tropical greenery within bamboo frames, anchors one wall with the kind of detail that rewards the look.
Golden Light is a restored home. She is rich, thoughtful, and undeniably alive.
Seamless Integration with Nature: Speargrass House in Queenstown by Arent&Pyke.
In collaboration with Matt Chaplin, Arent&Pyke looked outside for inspiration. The embracecream interior and shades of gray draw the New Zealand landscape into this country home.
[Images courtesy of Arent&Pyke. Editorial styling by Jack Milenkovic. Photography by Anson Smart.]