Moody upmarket interior evokes bachelor pad aesthetic

Interior design by Angelique Armstrong, Armstrong Interiors

From the designer:

The homeowner’s brief

This was a large scale home renovation from a four bedroom home to a three bedroom home with larger rooms, larger ensuite’s and a larger WIR. 

The owner wanted an easy-living apartment style, low-maintenance home and the ideal bachelor’s pad. 

Our response

There was no limit to the budget that I needed to work within, so this was an interior designer's dream job. I was able to create and specify everything that I felt was worthy of sitting in this home, to create scale and magnitude. 

The owner's brief was to keep the colour palette minimal – he wanted dark and masculine colours and textures. 

Everything he was saying lead me to Henge. I introduced him to the Henge lighting style and furniture brand saying I felt this suited him perfectly, and he agreed. 

So we worked Henge into the project with furniture and feature lighting into the main living area, entrance lounge, and dining, and even flowing on into the powder room. There needed to be a flow of understated opulence. 

Leathered bluestone feature walls on the second floor run through the centre of the house. These are cut at random lengths and are the feature of the kitchen, dining room and lounge. 

The fireplace is also a grand feature of the home and the owner wanted the surround in burnished steel. To achieve this, large sheets in 6m lengths were brought in. 

Designing the main fire place with the large scale steel and 2m x 3m neolith panels, was definitely a job for the experts. Large square steel shelves sit on each side of this feature, complete with lighting, to house large pieces of sculptural art. The hearth is designed in black granite in a honed finish with LED strip lighting underneath. 

The timber flooring is 150 year old reclaimed French oak from an old barn in France. I was up in the night bidding on it with Foret flooring owner Alan Stuck. We were so excited to have won this auction and that the timber was on its way to New Zealand. 

The timber is 20 mm thick and has been bordered and laid with traditional mitred corners. It truly is a piece of art; after laying it was stained, wire brushed and stained an additional four times, then oiled – resulting in a beautiful warm element throughout this masculine home. 

The owner is a keen fitness and health fanatic, so his gym space was important to him. Included in this space was a gym kitchen and wet room. 

Directly out of the bi-folding doors from the gym stands the pool side and entertainment areas – the natural flow from the stone interior out to the stone exterior was important in this area. 

The bathrooms and powder room continue the interior's opulent yet natural feel with their walls also featuring bluestone cut in random lengths, with a honed leather finish, and the vanities fabricated from Neolith Calatorao. 

The mirrors throughout all the bathrooms and walk-in-robes are custom made with LED lighting behind it. These are made from 100mm thick steel or oak, stained and wire brushed. 

In addition, this needed to also be a smart house – controlling electrics, lighting, TV, sound and drapes. 

Other features in this bachelor's pad include an in-house theatre, and luxury sauna.

Story by: Trendsideas