Mount Davis

A home changes shape when the family does. This couple had lived here happily for years, but with two young daughters the old split no longer worked: living and bedrooms crammed onto one floor, a secondary lounge and study marooned on the other. So we took a firm hand and re-zoned the whole duplex, living and dining up top, all the bedrooms below, so each floor finally does one job well.

Having spent time living abroad, the owners have a soft spot for classic design, so the interior design mixes those moulded, traditional touches with cleaner modern forms, a classic-chic register that suits a duplex shared by a family with young children. Ceiling and wall mouldings, slim black lines, and dark brown flooring sit over an earth-tone base, giving the home a quiet sense of contrast and depth without going heavy.

Upstairs, a structural wall stands between living and dining, so rather than fight it we set a mirrored door into it to link the two and bounce the light along. The staircase between floors gets the same treatment, frosted glass and mirror, pulling daylight down and making the core feel wider. The daughters' room turns playful: a hut-shaped bookshelf and a wavy panel bring the fun, while the built-in bookcase and wardrobe came from our trusted partner factory. With the girls still small, almost everything else is loose furniture, ready to change as they grow.