“From the exterior, the black front gate and refreshed white façade of the villa hide a transformation inside. A self-described ugly duckling, with tinges of 1960s villa, has been transformed into a cohesive, light-filled family home that embraces the clients’ love of cooking and collecting.”

A neutral colour palette, natural materials like terracotta tiles, rattan and stone as well as a reconsidered layout, these design solutions have see the ugly duckling become a swan. The Bowerbird Home by Beatrix Rowe. But why bowerbird. Well that’s the homeowner and their penchant for collecting.

Photography by Sharyn Cairns