Maison Soleil, Three Birds Renovations’ House 18, is a French-inspired family home on Sydney’s North Shore, combining a reworked floor plan with layered timber mouldings, creative wall panelling and warm, character-filled interiors.
Light-filled, warm and rich in character, Maison Soleil brings the relaxed romance of the French countryside with the practical needs of modern Australian family life.
Meaning “Sunhouse” in French, Maison Soleil is House 18 by Three Birds Renovations. Located on Sydney’s North Shore, the renovation transformed a disconnected three-bedroom house into a more considered home for a family of five.
As a project collaborator, Intrim helped bring architectural detail and cohesion to the interiors through skirting boards, architraves, chair rails and wall battens. Used both traditionally and in unexpected ways, the mouldings create a consistent design language while allowing the individual rooms their own personality.
A Floor Plan Designed Around How the Family Lives
The original house had a layout that no longer suited the family. The living room was separated from the rest of the home, while the kitchen was positioned away from the backyard, making it difficult for the parents to supervise their children outside.
Having lived in the property for nine years, the owners knew what needed to change. The renovation prioritised open-plan living, stronger indoor-outdoor connections, more space for entertaining, additional bedrooms and a swimming pool for the children.
The Birds completely reworked the floor plan, using changes in level to make better use of the sloping site and create clearer zones throughout the home.
Upstairs, the three boys have their own bedroom with a shared bathroom nearby. The parents’ retreat, media room and study sit at the front of the home, while the open-plan kitchen, dining, living and alfresco areas occupy the lower section at the rear.
The new arrangement allows the family to come together while retaining spaces for privacy. At the rear, the kitchen and lounge overlook the pool and backyard, creating a stronger connection between everyday living and the outdoors.
French Country Character with a Modern Australian Perspective
Maison Soleil draws on the warmth, texture, and relaxed elegance associated with Three Birds Renovations’ design style but reinterpreted through a French-country lens.
Mixed cladding, brick and timber give the exterior depth, while clean gabled rooflines create a strong architectural presence. A barn-style garage door and rustic timber entry pergola reference traditional French farmhouses and their outbuildings.
Inside, softer curves balance the home’s stronger architectural lines. A statement living-room window frames views of the pool and backyard, while stone around the fireplace and alfresco area introduces natural texture, and muted marble surfaces through the kitchen and butler’s pantry complement the aesthetic.
The result is a home that feels warm and romantic without becoming overly rustic, combining French-country references with the relaxed practicality of Australian living.
Skirting and Architraves Create a Consistent Foundation
Decorative mouldings play an important role in establishing Maison Soleil’s French-inspired interior style.
Intrim SK945B skirting boards, specified at a generous 230mm height, run through the home alongside coordinated 135mm architraves. The taller skirting height suits the home’s generous proportions and provides visual weight at floor level without competing with the stone, timber, marble and decorative treatments used throughout the interior.
A Creative Take on Wall Panelling
One of the most distinctive moulding applications appears in the media room, where familiar profiles have been used in an unexpected way.
Rather than installing Intrim CR190 chair rail horizontally in its conventional application, The Birds turned the profile vertically to create textured timber wall battens. The detailing reaches approximately three-quarter wall height and is finished with WB09 wall battens laid horizontally.
At the base, an inverted SK498 66mm skirting profile manages the transition between the vertical battens and the main skirting board, creating a more resolved finish.
It is a simple idea with plenty of potential for renovation projects. By looking beyond the intended application of a profile, different mouldings can feel custom-designed without requiring a completely bespoke system.
Three Bedrooms, Three Moulding Ideas
The children’s bedrooms continue the home’s creative approach to timber detailing, with each room using mouldings differently while remaining connected to the wider design.
Layered battens and fluted detail
One bedroom combines vertical WB09 wall battens with WB35 fluted wall lining. The fluted detail runs vertically around the room and coordinates with the fluted bedroom door, while horizontal battens define the top and bottom of the treatment.
Repeating a detail from the door across walls is a simple way to make a bedroom feel more considered and cohesive, while the combination of profiles adds textures without relying on colour alone.
A Simple Horizontal Feature
Another bedroom takes a more restrained approach, using two WB35 fluted battens horizontally at approximately three-quarter wall height, creating a clean decorative feature.
For homeowners and renovators who like the idea of decorative wall panelling but don’t want to cover an entire wall, this is an achievable source of inspiration. A small amount of moulding can introduce proportion and texture while keeping the overall scheme simple.
Skirting Used as a Chair Rail
In the third bedroom, SK09 skirting at 66mm has been repurposed as a chair rail. Positioned higher on the wall it separates the painted lower section from muted green striped wallpaper above.
The result shows that mouldings don’t need to be restricted to their traditional applications. Choosing a profile for its shape and proportion rather than its intended use can open up new possibilities for personalised interiors.
6 Renovation Ideas to Take from Three Birds House 18
1. Design the floor plan around daily routinesConsider how everyone moves through the home, from preparing meals and supervising children, to entertaining and finding quiet spaces. A successful renovation should solve everyday problems as well as improve the way the home looks.
2. Create one architectural language throughout the whole homeDifferent colours, wallpapers and materials can sit comfortably together when there are consistent architectural elements tying the spaces together. In Maison Soleil, the repeated use of decorative moulding profiles creates a visual thread from room to room.
3. Consider mouldings early in the design processSkirting, architraves, chair rails and wall battens work best when considered alongside ceiling heights, doors, cabinetry, wallpaper and furniture placement. Planning these details early also makes it easier to resolve junctions between different profiles.
4. Look at profiles beyond their traditional applicationA moulding does not always need to be installed in its traditional orientation. Maison Soleil uses chair rail vertically, skirting as a chair rail and fluted battens horizontally and vertically to create a completely different result.
5. Give children’s rooms their own personalityA cohesive home doesn’t mean every bedroom needs to look the same. Variation in scale, placement, and texture of mouldings can give each room an individual character while keeping the broader design connected.
6. Balance decorative detail with functionalityThe success of the renovation isn’t only its French-country styling. The reconfigured floor plan, additional bedrooms, clear zoning and stronger connection between the living areas, pool and alfresco are equally important to how the home works.
A Home Where Character Meets Practicality
Maison Soleil is a renovation shaped by both aspiration and experience. After nine years in the original house, the family understood how they wanted their home to function and what they wanted it to feel like.
The transformation brings those ambitions together. Shared living spaces now connect naturally with the backyard, entertaining flows between the kitchen, dining and alfresco areas, and each member of the family has more space and privacy.
French-country references bring warmth and character, while the considered use of timber mouldings gives the interiors a consistent architectural foundation. From generous skirting and architraves to inventive wall treatments, the project demonstrates just how much can be achieved with thoughtful moulding selection.
For homeowners planning a renovation, Maison Soleil is a reminder that character doesn’t have to come at the expense of practicality. A well-resolved floor plan, a clear material palette and carefully considered architectural details can work together to create a home that feels both personal and enduring.
