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Strathfield Residence

Fitzgerald & Chandler Interior Design is renowned for using natural materials with texture and movement. With the emphasis on nature, space, and light, the clients wanted to achieve a stylish minimalist look, neutral palette with a few moody features. This outstanding home combines an architectural plan with high-end finishes, for an aesthetically beautiful home designed for luxury living.

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Project by Fitzgerald & Chandler Interior Design
Place Strathfield
Project Type Residential
Category Residential
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Interview with Fitzgerald & Chandler

Ali from Sareen Stone caught up with Nadia from Fitzgerald & Chandler to talk about one of her latest projects in Strathfield. This stunning home features our Luna Chiaro Alfresco and Honed Limestone.

Project Type: New build.
A minimalist family home designed for entertaining

A large family home, with great entertaining space with a stylish minimalist look, neutral palette with a few moody features. The rest was up to me!

Building through COVID and material constraints

Rain was probably the least of our worries, although we had a lot. We were hit with Covid. The number of trades on site was limited due to Covid government regulations. Some areas were in lockdown and were not able to travel. Materials were harder to get hold of and the prices just kept going up. But we got there in the end, with outstanding results and a happy client.

Designing the home around natural materials

My client had a lot of trust in my decisions from the initial design consultation to the selection process. I was lucky to have worked with my client previously, so the trust was already there between us.

The entrance feature wall established Luna Chiaro as an early material reference for the residence. While the honed limestone creates the feature at the entry, the Alfresco treatment carries the same stone into the outdoor living space and around the pool. This gives the project a recurring limestone element while allowing its appearance and texture to change between applications.

As an Interior Designer I generally always have a strong focus on natural materials with textures & movement.

I wanted the materials to complement each other so you end up with a cohesive feel from one room to another.

One of the key features of this home was a beautiful entry wall that I wanted to be a feature in Limestone. I contacted Michael from Sareen Stone as I had worked with you before for other amazing projects. I remembered seeing a sample of the Luna Chiaro Limestone previously and loved it. It has the most elegant look and feel about it, with just the right amount of movement, I knew it was perfect. This was the first material I had selected for this home and wanted the entire home to work around that.

Bringing the design from concept to completion

I really enjoy working with all the different trades that bring lines on paper to reality. There is a big responsibility for us to get this right for our clients and nothing is more satisfying than walking away and seeing a smile on your clients face that we have achieved what they wanted.

What’s next for Fitzgerald & Chandler? Any exciting projects in the pipeline?

It’s been a very busy few years in our industry. Renovating is still a priority for a lot of households, which is great for us. Lots of projects in the pipeline from Coastal to Country Southern Highlands.  One exciting project which would be great to get finished would be my own home on the Northern Beaches, fingers crossed.

Project Highlights

Luna Chiaro Limestone in Strathfield, Sydney

Luna Chiaro Limestone is used across several areas of this Strathfield residence by Fitzgerald & Chandler Interior Design. A honed finish was selected for the feature wall cladding at the entrance, while Luna Chiaro Alfresco extends through the outdoor living space and pool surrounds, with crazy paving introducing another expression of the limestone within the exterior areas.

The material was central to the design process from an early stage. Fitzgerald & Chandler selected Luna Chiaro for the entrance feature wall first, with the designer describing a preference for natural materials with texture and movement and wanting the home’s materials to complement one another from room to room. The limestone’s light grey palette, soft muted tones and subtle markings provided a starting point for the wider material selection.

Sareen Stone supplies Luna Chiaro Limestone in interior and exterior treatments for residential and architectural projects across Sydney and Australia.

Products Used

Sareen Stone’s Luna Chiaro Limestone was selected for its consistent light grey palette with soft, muted tones and subtle markings. The Alfresco was used for the outdoor living space, pool surrounds, and crazy pave. The Honed finish was used for the feature wall cladding at the entrance.

Luna Chiaro Limestone tiles with soft grey tones used in modern interiors

Luna Chiaro Limestone

Other Projects

Project Phoenix

Sophisticated Beecroft Project

TDDP Showcase Atlantic Grey

Roseville Chase Project

Hunters Hill Residence

FAQs

What natural stone was used at Strathfield Residence?

Luna Chiaro Limestone was selected for the Strathfield Residence. Different treatments of the limestone were used across the entrance and outdoor areas.

Where was Luna Chiaro Limestone used in the project?

Luna Chiaro Alfresco was used for the outdoor living space and pool surrounds, with crazy paving also incorporated into the exterior. A honed finish was used for the feature wall cladding at the entrance.

Why was Luna Chiaro Limestone selected for the home?

Fitzgerald & Chandler wanted to work with natural materials that offered texture and movement. Luna Chiaro was initially selected for the limestone entrance wall and became the first material chosen for the residence, helping inform subsequent material selections.

What role does the limestone entrance wall have in the design?

The entrance wall was conceived as one of the home’s key features. Luna Chiaro Limestone in a honed finish was selected for the wall, establishing the stone as an important part of the project’s material palette from the beginning.

How is Luna Chiaro used around the pool?

Luna Chiaro Alfresco Limestone was used for the pool surrounds. The same Alfresco treatment also appears in the outdoor living space, while crazy paving introduces another limestone treatment within the exterior design.

Who designed the Strathfield Residence?

The project is by Fitzgerald & Chandler Interior Design. The residence was designed as a large family home with generous entertaining areas, a minimalist aesthetic, a predominantly neutral palette and selected moodier features.

TAKE US THROUGH THE INITIAL STAGES WHEN YOU WERE DESIGNING THE HOME.

We were very fortunate to work with the noted Southern Highlands Architect, Martin McGrane, on the creative design and layout of our home. Together with Martin, we created a beautiful, contemporary open plan home to enjoy with our family and friends.  This is our forever home.

Through a friend of ours, we came across an interior designer, and a beautiful outdoor material, the Cathedral Limestone, which we just fell in love with. We worked closely with Peta Daniel, Interior Designer from Daniel Baker Design, based in Sydney.  Which was wonderful, Peta just got us and what we were wanting to achieve in our home and helped us to make it a reality, in the selection of materials and finishes.

 

WERE THERE CERTAIN PEOPLE/PLACES THAT YOU TOOK INSPIRATION FROM WHEN DESIGNING/BUILDING THE HOME?

We were looking for a contemporary design, however, I didn’t want it to be too modern.  Inspired by a property in LA, that my husband came across, which we took some concepts from and added our ideas, and made it our own.

The LA contemporary look and detail leading into the house from the front door was something that we just loved.  Along with having one row of tiles that runs along the inside of the glass sliding doors leading into the living/dining room from the alfresco space was also a unique detail we wanted to include.

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING PROCESS?

The build started in February 2020, and with all the delays throughout COVID, material delays, supplier issues, constant rain, mud pools, you name it, we had it!  Encountering all the possible elements, it felt like we were living in gumboots most of the time during the build.  It took 3 years to build the property, and 8 months just to get the roof on!

We had a deadline for our home to be finished by, which was our daughters’ wedding, being held in March 2023.

There were delays happening everywhere, including issues and delays with the quarry who were providing the Limestone that was to be used in all the outdoor areas surrounding the property.  We had chosen Cathedral Limestone in an alfresco finish with a lovely organic distressed finish on the edge, that we knew would complement the other natural materials we were using.  Time was of the essence, and it came to crunch time and the quarry could not provide a guaranteed time of delivery.  We thought what a disaster!

 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH SAREEN STONE.. AND HOW THE TEAM HELPED TO OVERCOME THE SUPPLY ISSUE WITH THE CATHEDRAL LIMESTONE.

Working closely with Michael Mastro, from Sareen Stone, he had been in constant contact updating me as best he could.  Then an alternative solution was presented, another Limestone of the same size and finish, with similar tones, which I hoped would work and arrive in time.  Sareen Stone had been behind the scenes working closely with another quarry, to create a new product ‘Lavarosa Anticato’, just for our project, so that we had a solution and were able to finish our home in time for our daughter’s wedding.

When the material arrived, we couldn’t have been happier.  We just loved the Lavarosa Anticato, and it worked so well with our colour palette, and love it even more than our previous selection.  We were over the moon!

 

DESIGNER COMMENTS:

Working with Kate and Eugene on this project was wonderful. They were passionate about the overall design but also the finer details and the interplay of the natural materials with the surrounding landscape.

It was very important that the natural material palette was harmonious, and that each element was both complementary and warm.

I’ve worked with Michael from Sareen Stone on a number of projects and have always been impressed with his professional advice and clear communication. The magnificent home warmly wrapped with the “Lavarosa Anticato” is simply stunning.   A beautiful project!

Peta Daniel, Daniel Baker Design

 

IN COLLABORATION WITH:

Interior Designer:  Daniel Baker Design, 0414 341 778
Architecture:  Martin McGrane Architects, 0412 242 253
Photography and short film:  Bolt Media, 0426 607 040