In Sydney, Nina Maya Signature a bright open plan villa, full of designer items that follow the latest trends in the interior design world. It seems impossible, but this property carries with it a great historical legacy, that of Bob Hawke (former owner), Australia’s longest-serving Labor prime minister. “Suddenly one day I received a request to meet the architect Ian Traill, which I did not know. He wanted to take me on this adventure, I took a stab, and in the end it was a choice that rewarded me! ”Says the designer, who never met the current owners during the whole process. “The customers sailed abroad with their yacht, the only contact I had with them was by telephone, despite this we managed to complete the project”.
The modern architecture, completed in 1993, included a private quay, a gentlemen’s club, five sumptuous bedrooms and a putting green on the roof. “For the renovation we have eliminated the labyrinthine layout which blocked much of the natural light. Ian removed the walls, raised the ceilings, hoisted the stairs on five levels, and installed floor-to-ceiling windows on each floor. The customers wanted a minimalist home that showed the large-scale scale of the structure, while the focus was on the bay and the greenery outside, ”continues Nina Maya.
For this project, Nina Maya worked with one neutral palettewhere the use of marble: from the floor to the walls, in the bathroom and even in the living room, «where the solid marble sinks have been sculpted from blocks by Arabescato, processed in Italy, and a magnificent gray marble has been used on a custom arched fireplace as a centerpiece in the living room» Says the designer. But despite the extremely modern restyling, customers have decided to leave some elements from the past intact. “The owners have kept a special piece in honor of Prime Minister Hawkes’ legacy, yours pool table originaland then they bought a trilogy of Richard Freeman photographic portraits that portray the previous premiere of smoking a cigar, ”the designer continues.
Among the designers who inspire Nina’s work, we find Joseph Dirand (among AD 100/2022). “An example? I always start with a minimal palette of materials in neutral tones using natural finishes, and then I like to add intriguing details through textures, artwork and lighting. Especially when it comes to the works, my passion is to find it perfect piece at auction, or we often order an ad hoc work, for this project we have worked with several local artists just like Oliver Tanner and Marcus Piper Studio, ”the designer reveals.
A key point is floating staircase in bronze and porcelain which runs along the entire axis of the building. “Again, we wanted the view and the light to invade all the spaces of the house. Building this staircase was a great engineering feat, but it was worth it, in fact, it really is a great piece for the home, ”concludes Nina Maya.
