Cool, calm and collected designer Garth Barnett's home

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Interior by designer Garth Barnett

Restful bedroom interior by designer Garth Barnett bedroom, ceiling, furniture, home, hotel, interior design, room, window, black

Ornate mirror and cabinet treatment in master bedroom chest of drawers, curtain, furniture, home, interior design, living room, room, table, wall, window, window covering, window treatment, black, white

Interior by designer Garth Barnett - Interior by fireplace, floor, flooring, furniture, hearth, home, interior design, living room, room, table, wall, window, gray, black

Contemporary, eclectic interior by designer Garth Barnett fireplace, floor, flooring, furniture, hearth, home, interior design, living room, room, table, gray, black

Australian interior project by owner and designer Garth architecture, building, condominium, facade, glass, home, house, real estate, residential area, window, black

Interior by designer Garth Barnett with coffered ceilings coffee table, dining room, floor, furniture, home, interior design, living room, room, table, window, gray, black

Eclectic contemporary interior with classic ceilings and limestone chair, floor, flooring, furniture, hardwood, home, interior design, living room, room, suite, table, gray, black, brown

Interior by designer Garth Barnett - Interior by chair, coffee table, dining room, floor, flooring, furniture, home, interior design, living room, room, table, gray

Coral and locally made driftwood side tables enhance ceiling, home, interior design, living room, property, real estate, room, window, black

Pale interior by designer Garth Barnett with coffered ceiling, furniture, hearth, home, interior design, living room, real estate, room, wall, gray, black

Eclectic interior by owner and designer Garth Barnett furniture, hearth, home, interior design, living room, real estate, room, gray, black

Designing a beach house from scratch provides an ideal opportunity to inject your own personality into an interior.

The owner-designer of this beach house, Garth Barnett, welcomed the chance to do his own thing. And he is quick to point out that he didn't set out to create a particular look.

"I am always picking things up in my travels overseas and wanted to be able to display some of these pieces," he says. "So, it was always going to be an eclectic mix of antique and contemporary items."

Barnett says the house has a square-edged Neoclassical design, with simple lines and 3.2m-high ceilings.

"It was important that the architecture not detract from the collections. With this in mind, the interior materials and finishes are very neutral. Almost the entire floor of the house is tiled in limestone that has a slight hint of pink. This same colour was picked out for the walls, doors and ceilings."

Against this backdrop, the designer overlaid furniture upholstered in neutral tones texture was more important than colour, he says. That texture comes through in linen weaves, sisal rugs, bamboo and driftwood furniture.

The soft neutral tones are offset by accents of black in picture frames, cushions and the trim around the sisal rugs. Colour is mainly limited to the paintings, which include bright Aboriginal art.

Key furniture items include antique Chinese apothecary cabinets and chests from India. These are teamed with two 18th-century French chairs upholstered in leather. A coffee table in raw steel adds a modern touch.

"I like to throw things from different periods together it gives a room a more contemporary look," says Barnett.

Sculptural items include large pieces of coral, and shells found locally, a Spanish religious icon found in Manila, and a mythical Burmese dragon head in stone, which dates back to the 14th century.

Dark brown wood dining chairs with a circular lattice pattern from the Philippines add a bold graphic element to the dining area. The custom-designed dining table is elm wood.

A matching armchair in the master bedroom provides continuity. Here it sits beside a hexagonal black-lacquered hall table and a sculpture by Victorian artist Charlotte Boyd.