Michael Ellison designs spaces that tell a personal story, blending a youthful spirit with modern luxury. His tailored, layered approach incorporates unique pieces and striking art, creating serene, inviting environments. Rejecting rigid luxury, he prioritizes comfort and joy, crafting designs that elevate daily living while encouraging exploration and interaction.
Welcome to this outstanding Nantucket home by Studio Michael Ellison.
Photography by Nicole Franzen.
Emplacement by NFT Architecture is a thoughtfully designed forever home, seamlessly blending into South Yarra’s established streetscape. Created for a young, growing family, the design emphasizes permanence, adaptability, connection and context. Balancing efficiency with generosity, the home evolves to meet changing needs, offering spaces that expand, contract, and foster both closeness and independence. Light-filled, outwardly connected interiors embrace the landscape, creating a serene sanctuary. Emplacement serves as a timeless canvas for life and personal expression.
Photography by Tom Blachford.
Set on five acres of scenic coastal land, Harvest House designed by ELC Architecture and Interior offers panoramic views of the ocean and surrounding bushland. Its sustainable design reflects a deep commitment to environmental stewardship. It incorporates recycled bricks from the demolished original house and reclaimed timbers from across Australia used for posts and beams, their natural beauty enhanced by exposed finishes.
The house features 90,000-liter rainwater storage in underground tanks and solar panels with battery storage, ensuring eco-friendly utilities. Its interior reflects the owners’ multicultural heritage and global travels, with curated finishes like handcrafted tiles and vibrant textiles.
The design centres around a turreted third-level viewing room, offering dual ocean vistas. The second-floor living and kitchen spaces provide unobstructed treetop views, while the ground floor extends into guest, communal, and private zones. Four sheltered courtyards and a wraparound deck with greenery-filled planters integrate the home seamlessly into its natural environment, balancing functionality and elegance.
Photography by Martina Gemmola.
A linear and geometric single-story home tucked in the historic neighborhood of Wilshire Square in Los Angeles is a tribute to the designer’s ability to introduce mid-century with a fresh yet timeless perspective. Douglas-fir and Mahogany are the common threads that connect the interior spaces and offer a welcoming atmosphere of elegance and integration. Warmth and comfort are achieved in the bespoke kitchen that Graham identifies as a living space. The sculptural marble island enjoys counter seating from all sides and is enveloped by the wall-to-wall illuminated Douglas-fir built-ins that span the room. The open shelving concept provides optimal storage with customized wood boxes, hanging drawers and lower pull-out trays. Beyond the kitchen, Graham appointed a wood paneled butler’s pantry with integrated refrigeration and ovens. A secondary free-standing sink and dishwasher are a nod to the designer’s furniture collections. Mahogany storage solutions were designed to characterize the home’s mid-century architecture and separate rooms with integrated jambs and thresholds. Douglas-fir paneled bathrooms and custom marble sinks are yet another reminder of the cohesive and articulate design concept. Beyond the architectural key features, noteworthy mid-century furnishings were chosen for their authenticity amidst the client’s carefully curated art collection.
I am always and forever fascinated by Mandy Graham‘s approach to design. Monastic, minimal and unique with incredible attention to detail. Photos: Jasper Carlberg.
Designer Leanne Ford and her designer friend Grace Mitchell bought a home in Round Top, Texas. It is rustic and filled with vintage goodness (love that Aga stove!) …and the same vintage wall light used about 18 times, which as it turns out is one of my pet peeves of Leanne’s projects. It seems repetition in excess drives me batty. Anyhoo it’s a really pretty home, and I do love that light fixture (x18). You can book a stay here. Photos: Sarah Barlow.