daring mood

A Brutalist table and an art collection that covers the spectrum add surprise to these stylish interiors.

- JEAN WRIGHT

For Christian Lyon, the starting point for any design project is to understand what energises a client and how they want to live. In the case of this home, the Perth-based interior designer had a head start. Christian knew the owner well and understood her love of quality and beautiful things, having worked with her and her family over a number of years, including on the cover home of Belle’s February/ March 2019 edition. And so, on this occasion, his starting point had been a fact-finding visit to New York.

Presented with a blank canvas – a “dream opportunity”, he recalls – Christian set himself the challenge to transform the big, white house into “something unexpected that would surprise and deliver beyond the client’s expectations”. Achieving the right balance was a huge consideration. On a practical side, it was to be a long-term family home and needed to be liveable. Between them the couple has four children and two dogs, and the house is constantly filled with family and friends.