April 13, 2023
Homes

All in the detail

Whether it’s full of people being entertained or just immediate family relaxing, this Prospect home is perfect for any occasion.

Natural materials were important in the build, perfectly exhibited with the home’s stone exterior.

When Catrina and Rob Sinclair found the ideal Prospect block after a couple of years searching, they set about making plans for a home that would work perfectly for their family and lifestyle.

Having previously lived in double storey homes, the Sinclairs wanted the height they’d become accustomed to, but with just one floor.

“We needed a large block because we wanted a single storey home, but we wanted really high ceilings to still give it that two-storey look from the exterior,” Catrina says.

The entry opens up to two office spaces to the right and left. The intricately adorned area features raised flooring with stairs on all sides and wrought iron parapets.

The home, which they moved into in August 2021, tends towards classic styling, veering away from the more modern homes the family had lived in before.

“We wanted to fit in with the genre of the area, and we do like this style.”

Alan Sheppard Constructions were called in to create the home, and Catrina couldn’t be happier with their vision. While there were a few things on the must-have list, Catrina and Rob left a lot of the ideas up to Alan Sheppard.

The master bedroom was kept deliberately simple, to make it easy to adapt to new styling as required.

The brief was for a spacious family home that could cater for quiet family time just as well as it would a larger gathering of extended family and friends. Entertaining is important to the Sinclairs and they needed spaces for outdoor dining and hosting, as well as an indoor swimming pool, large garage, an office and separate master suites.

Beyond that, many of the details were suggested by Alan Sheppard, including a grand entryway. The multi-level entry features an opulent chandelier just beyond the glossy black doors, framed by moulded columns and intricate wrought iron parapets. Edwardian cornices and traditional skirtings and architraves inject character into the expanse of white walls that tower up to the soaring ceilings.

The white walls create blank canvases that are the perfect places to display Catrina’s passion for art. She’s been a David Bromley fan as long as she can remember and a few of his pieces are proudly on show in the home.

The home’s bathrooms are a sleek and classic black and white palette.
Family living came first in design, but even the children’s spaces feature beautiful cornicing and tray ceilings in keeping with the rest of the home.

Also on display is work from South Australian artist Katie Wyatt and a print of New South Wales artist Jessica Watts, which greets visitors upon entry.

Catrina says many of her current pieces were displayed in their previous home, but friends comment on them as if it’s the first time they’ve seen them. While the works blended in before, they’re excitingly on show now.

For all the high ceilings and beautiful detailing, the spaces still feel as cosy as a family home should.

As with the bathrooms, black and white were the choices for the kitchen, which blends classic styling with the latest technology.

“It’s great to look lovely and spectacular and grand, but it’s got to be a home. It’s got to be functional and user-friendly,” Catrina says.

Already, Catrina and Rob have hosted family events at their home, with the fully enclosed outdoor area the perfect space to entertain.

Equipped with an outdoor kitchen, the space connects seamlessly to the courtyard through large-scale sliding windows, framed in sleek black. A television hangs on the grey marble splashback, facing a dining table that converts to a pool table.

The comfortable family living space combines warm-toned natural materials and the sleek black and white colour palette featured throughout the home.

It’s an area of the home that gets used a few times a week, even just with the immediate family.

From there, Rob can monitor his favourite part of the home – the above ground fish pond and water feature.

Outdoors, the couple chose a paved courtyard instead of a green area, their two teenaged daughters no longer needing an expanse of lawn. It minimises maintenance, while providing a great space for guests.

The area is enclosed by the home’s quartzite stone exterior, with touches of black in the sleek concrete roof tiles and arbour, and greenery in the aquatic plants and topiary.

An indoor pool was on the “must” list from the beginning.
Outdoor entertaining is important to the Sinclair family, who are able to use this space all year round.

The arbour will soon be covered with a vine and the dining space enjoys a background of a feature brick wall with arches, giving the space a cosy Tuscan feel.

The indoor pool and gym are perfect for keeping active all year long, shielded from the elements.

The exterior and interior of the home are brought to life with clever lighting, illuminating just the right places. Catrina and Rob chose a neutral colour palette of warm timbers, black joinery and soft grey furnishings.

There was no need for an expanse of lawn, so the outdoor area was paved with a water feature to expand the entertaining space.

Rob, who owns a trucking company, is a fan of bolder colours and design, while Catrina prefers things to be more toned down – but they compromised with a happy medium.

“I pare things back and he jazzes it up a bit, but we complement each other,” says Catrina.

The design process was made easy with the perfect suggestions from Alan – the couple felt like they were having a say with their input, but were smoothly guided to see the bigger picture.

“He really showed us things along the way and it wasn’t stressful at all.”

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