Swann Road

Keen to embark on a fresh stage of their lives, a professional couple downsize from their family home and buy a top-floor boutique apartment off-the-plan from a developer. Located in the Brisbane's St Lucia, the new-build commenced in early 2015, and with the couple eager to move in before Christmas they requested the skills of Matthew to customise a complete furniture package.

A week into the commission Matthew was engaged to design the kitchen, bathrooms, study and wardrobes as well as seven pieces of furniture, including a recycled Blackbutt dining table and dining room console. This is the story of a finely detailed and productive collaboration between Matthew and his client, Katrina. Matthew worked imaginatively with an inherited materials palette of blacks, whites and greys. To create a relevant sense of place, he lifted the scheme with bleached/silver greens and golds reminiscent of the Queensland landscape. Liaising with Katrina, Matthew enhanced the apartment’s design aesthetic with top quality fixtures, refined soft furnishings and a new lighting scheme. The vibe is glamorous but livable; logical but luxe. 

Channeling Regency Revival and Art Deco styles Matthew has crafted a beautifully proportioned space with fluid circulation. The apartment is designed for people to interact easily across different living spaces, to traverse these spaces with grace, and to experience a heightened, luxurious sense of everyday.

Aside from Matthew’s custom-designed furniture pieces and photography, most of the furniture is customised Australian design. In addition to the client’s own art collection which Matthew and Katrina had re-framed, art and accessories were sourced globally from as far as New York, the Czech Republic, Italy and South Africa. Matthew was responsible for the photographic artwork which anchors the living room, custom designed the master bedspread and cushions from his online store, Mr Cushions. The Swann Road apartment will be featured in House & Garden Australia magazine, 2017.