River House - exploring a new home in Kyle Bay with kitchens and robes by Poliform.

Kyle Bay house is a beautiful light-filled family residence by KA Design Studio. Set high up in the gum trees overlooking the Georges River below, there is a peaceful feeling that pervades the site. Known affectionately as River House, the home’s design was developed over four years by Sebastian Kaintoch with lead architect Christian Campoy.

The home features two complete Poliform kitchens and a Scullery, plus walk in robes and large modular sofa in the living room.

“Our clients at River house are a young family of four,” says Christian Campoy from KA Design Studio, who worked closely with Cathie Noel at Poliform to deliver the project.

“The clients approached us, looking to create their long-term family home,” continues Christian, “With a clear vision they understood the journey they were about to embark on!”

KA Design Studio is a regular specifier of Poliform, who knew that food and fashion were important focal points for the client.

Poliform’s Cathie Noel describes how working on the three kitchens and a walk-in robe was a detailed process, in which the owners, very involved in every decision.

“Poliform worked very closely with the architect, interior designer and the clients over many months, designing the mechanics of the kitchens and the robes and how they should function,” she says.

“Time was spent fine tuning the choice of finishes to be sympathetic to the architecture and materials, the spaces they were being designed for and the client’s sense of elegance and style.

“The scullery is a fully functional kitchen and is adjacent to the main kitchen. It’s perfect for preparing everyday meals and snacks and is also in perfect proximity to the main entertaining area if professional caterers were required for special occasions.

“The Scullery also has a small study area, which is designed for researching recipes and it also has a great area for storing longer shelf life items and cookbooks,” Poliform’s Assistant Manager Cathie Noel says.

The final design perfectly reflects the lifestyle of the owners, who are all part of a busy, socially active family which loves to entertain at home.

The open plan kitchen in the lounge dining room was specified in a dark finishes with a large marble bench that has a snack top dining table attached that seats up to eight guests.

With its dark finish and minimal design, the top kitchen acts as a point of entry to the home. As the home is explored it naturally becomes a gathering spot for adults and the site for entertaining guests for evening drinks or sunset cocktail parties.

The below levels feature bedrooms and additional bathrooms and below another lower level with a kitchen gym, hidden laundry and pool deck.

Lead Architect Christian explains how the design was wrapped into the natural topography.

“The family home inserts itself into a steep rocky face falling over twenty-two metres toward the river access below. The home presents as a modest singular volume at street level, while beyond the three lower stories cascade down the steep site as a series of shifted volumes.

“Upon arrival one is directed to the outlook beyond, over a double height space that connects the entry volume to the living. View corridors to the river beyond are maintained by the removal of all dividing walls and stand-alone space as the living level acts as an open container for the view,” Campoy explains.

On the lower ground downstairs beneath the bedrooms they is a pool deck level, which opens out as a second white volume that contains another all white Poliform kitchen that gets more frequently thanks to its casual mood.

“This finish chosen for this kitchen was chosen from our laminates collection,” says Cathie Noel. “The colour and texture was in keeping with this area and had a lighter outdoor feel.”

With its adjacent outdoor undercover table, seating up to ten guests, the outdoor BBQ with stainless steel benches make this kitchen a “go-to zone for snacks and casual entertaining in summer.

Surrounded by a beautiful set of trees that frame and soften the view, KA Design Studio describe how the natural surrounds, informed the material palette of the interior.

“The outlook of the site toward the river is graced by a large indigenous Eucalyptus pilularis blackbutt tree. Through the use of a ‘raw-state’ material palette, the interiors aim to elevate the sense of nature through the textures and tones harnessed in this rigorous contemporary design

“Off-form concrete, natural stone and timbers are used in a constant play of rough and smooth textures, warm and cool tones as experienced in the outdoors. As the interior opens up to the outside, it also inverts this experience and emulates the tactile characteristics of natural materials inward,” Campoy says.

In a dedicated room next to the master bedroom River House also features an extensive walk in robe for the head of the household. This room has glasses display cases for her collection of hats, bags and shoes, as well as carefully planned Quid dressing table, stacked storage and areas specifically systemised for scarves, coats, trousers and longer items.

Read more about River House at Kyle Bay on HabitusLiving.

Photography by Tom Ferguson