UP TICK

Creating better connections inside and out through clever design brought this family's vision to life.

- Carli Philips

"They were really chilled — especially given that it was our studio’s first completed residential project,” says Das Studio managing director Dino Vrynios of his clients, owners Jason and Kylie. “They were very humble and very trusting.” The couple had lived in the house for 16 years, and although they were prepared to make do while they had young children, the long-term plan was always to renovate. By the time they were ready, their Adelaide suburb had gone “gangbusters”.

A 1980s extension had left the house dated and in need of regular repairs. The layout was impractical, with the bathroom off the living zone and the laundry in a cupboard in the dining space. “Because Jason and Kylie had lived in the house for so long, they knew what did and didn’t work. It also meant they had a vision for how it could look,” says Dino, who works alongside his wife and creative director, Sara Horstmann. “Our design process involved re-creating ‘A day in the life of’ so we could get a good idea of how the house would function for them day-to-day.