This unique home celebrates the beauty of simplicity

Luxury home design requires a delicate balance between aesthetics and practicality. Having previously worked with the clients of this Flatbush home, Justs Design and the carpentry team at DH Kitchen helped to create a harmonious space that sets itself apart from other homes in the area – achieved with a minimal palette of colours and finishes.  

“This is a property that the owners and our team have spent much time on, meticulously working through the details,” says Justs Design’s Christopher Chen. 

“They wanted to branch out beyond what is expected of homes in the area and invested a lot of time trying to figure out how they could achieve something unique while still maintaining a manageable budget – and they've done an exceptional job in achieving that.”

Homeowners Yousif Mansour and Abbi Mackenzie explain this as being the main inspiration for the project. 

“The biggest thing was to create something atypical to the other surrounding homes,” says Mansour. “What can we do that’s going be better than the others? It was about creating a product that’s not very common.”

With its sleek black cladding and stack-bonded blockwork, the monochromatic scheme of the home’s exterior hints at what’s to be discovered as you journey inside. 

The ground floor is self-contained with a kitchenette, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a lounge area. Towards the front, a custom-crafted staircase wraps around and up to the main floor. Here, the space is expansive with an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area. A deck overlooks the surrounding area to the left, with a pool and spa area to the rear.

The showstopper of the project is the kitchen. “The kitchen creates a wow factor without being overboard,” says Mansour. 

A defining feature of the home, the kitchen island is a unique take on a traditional waterfall island bench. However, the size of the bench exceeds the maximum 3200mm length of porcelain slabs. Rather than having a joint part way along the bench, the Justs Design team used this as an opportunity to create a focal point. 

“It was more than just a practical choice; we realised that we had an opportunity to do something unique for the space,” says Chen. 

With no need for seating at the island bench, the break in between has instead allowed for a wine fridge to be fitted on the far end – an aspect you wouldn’t expect to see in a kitchen island.

A contrast to the porcelain bench, the kitchen cabinetry is sleek in black – contrasting also with the brass handles and hardware.

“The kitchen, lounge and dining, which then opens up to the pool, is a focus area of the home that makes this a really special place,” says Mansour. 

Another factor of the design was maximising the steep site. “This enabled us to have the kitchen and main living on that one level, which is quite nice. This is where everything comes together and people love it.”

Throughout the home, the incorporation of brass hardware and accents adds a touch of luxury. 

“The homeowners were meticulous with their level of planning, an effort which has clearly been reflected in the results – with every last detail having been considered,” says Chen. 

From light switches and door hinges to bathroom basins, brass adds an elevated elegance. 

“These seemingly small details make the whole house tie in together.”

With its limited colour palette and minimal layers and textures, the home showcases in full effect the idea that less is more. “I love colour too, but when you strip all of that away and it’s just the bare minimum, you can also achieve a stunning result – that’s why I love this project.”

This approach is continued upstairs where the floorplan consists of the master ensuite with a walk-in wardrobe, the remaining bedrooms, a shared bathroom and access to the outdoor spa area complete with the upper garden on the property.

Marbled porcelain is also carried throughout the home, such as for the laundry room benchtop, bathroom vanities and kitchenette – bringing continuity and impact to the design. 

A collaborative effort, the homeowners and Justs Design have masterfully taken a pared-back palette and crafted it in a way to create understated elegance with many showstopping moments throughout the three-storey home. 

“It has a lot of character,” says Chen.

If you are looking for an interior designer to help bring your design ideas to life, explore more of Justs Design’s projects on ArchiPro and get in touch to learn more about working together.