Mirror Image by Smac Studios
Designer Shona McElroy from Smac Studios skillfully manipulates light, texture and materiality in her recent interior design project, Mirror Image House.
Words: Georgie Ward I Photography: Anson Smart
‘The brief was that the house had to look like it came straight out of a magazine,’ says Shona McElroy from Smac Studios. Photo: Anson Smart
‘The home’s design is quite modern with clean lines and layout,’ says Shona McElroy. Photo: Anson Smart
Mirror Image, the double storey duplex located in Sydney’s Dover Heights, combines a balance of contrast and detail, in the creation of a stylish family home.
Designed by Shona McElroy from Smac Studios, the residential property utilises an infinite palette, using an endless array of colours and tones, materials and textures that have been carefully considered to compliment and contrast to add essence and flow to each space.
On entering the home, you are greeted with a grand, breathtaking landing, ‘It was a big priority to get the formality of the entrance, to allow people who come into the home to have their wow factor moment. It’s something that lacks in duplexes, not too much of a sense of entrance. I think it's nice to have somewhere to land,’ says Shona.
The entrance space exudes a sense of luxury with its glossed marble forecourt, hanging light feature and sculpture, and its spiral staircase that ascends to the upper floor. ‘The staircase was not an afterthought, I think it is it’s own element that informed this project,’ Shona adds.
Tucked away behind the staircase, sits a delightful little powder room. This hidden cave of treasures is a moody space with no windows that encapsulates you with its emerald-green polished Venetian walls.
The polished Venetian plaster is seen sprinkled throughout the rooms of the home, connecting each space through hints of resemblance, ‘I want you to go into a room and be surprised by it, but also visually understand the links, that there is a similar language in its details.’
Shona showcases her distinctly personal style in the kitchen dining space, where modern takes on ancient European styles. The grand island bench became the hero of the space, a central sitting space that invites conversation, and a spot for guests to sit when the home owners entertain or cook.
The soft emerald stone laced with bronze veining was loved by both Shona and the clients of the home, ‘It’s got this depth and character, but is also quite airy and light - it’s ethereal.’
The soft burgundy velvet contrasts the earthy brass and hard stone. Photo: Anson Smart
‘I love the movement of this art piece. It kind of like, moves off the wall on this flat, blank wall. I feel that’s really nice,’ says Shona McElroy. Photo: Anson Smart
“It’s outstanding the amount of detail we’ve gone into – you’ll find subtle links throughout the house that tie it all back together, even though the rooms are actually quite different.”
‘This home has so much personality and warmth. I guess the combination of materials feels so rich, but still quite homely,’ says Shona McElroy. Photo: Anson Smart
The eclectic aesthetic of the home can be seen in both the big and small details of the home. Photo: Anson Smart
“Art become the crown jewel of the house, we left bare walls so we could bring art into it because I think a home without art doesn’t showcase the home owner enough.”
‘The little pink petra light is such a cute playful element being a completely opposing colour to the green and blue of the powder room,’ says Shona McElroy. Photo: Anson Smart
‘The staircase helps break up and divide the space. You walk to and from your entertaining spaces through this beautiful marble forecourt’, says Shona McElroy. Photo: Anson Smart
The Elba marble seen on the staircase in seen continued in the upstairs bathroom vanity. Photo: Anson Smart
‘The house consists of two and half bathrooms, four bedrooms, a garage, two living rooms and a pool,’ says Shona McElroy. Photo: Anson Smart
For Shona, the importance of light underpinned the entire process of renovating this home. ‘The main challenge from the outset concept was definitely light - I felt that the spaces were too open plan and lacked a kind of formality’. This was overcome by dividing up the spaces and adding mirrors to reflect natural light and create the illusion of a larger space.
The home is embellished with statement artworks and lights that both create and reflect light whilst adding a sense of movement, ‘I believe the lights are not lights, they’re literal forms of art.’ The impressive Gervasoni pendant overshadowing the dining table grounds the area in its own space, it reflects light off its brass surfaces and ripples when touched by wind.
‘I’ve always loved the idea of reflection, and I think it's a common theme in this house, it adds light but also a kind of playfulness,’ says Shona. The two-metre long metallic sculptural piece that hangs in the living room creates this sense of movement through its reflective qualities, the artwork gives the illusion of melting, flowing, and dripping, something that Shona desired so that life was brought to the spaces she creates.
