Forest Nest

FOREST NEST – FAMILY TRANSFORMATION

The colour palette was derived from the site – from the surrounding bush lands near Lake Macquarie with soft timeless sage green and white joinery in Resene Peace and Blot, rustic copper lighting, butlers sink, tap and architectural hardware and matt charcoal black seating solutions with natural timber veneer shelving were complemented with white and copper toned Dekton benches.

Colours are deliberately pared-back to blend with the natural surrounding environment and assist to maintain a comfortable timeless palette. Curtains and blinds provide elegant insulation and privacy in the family dining and lounge room with filtered light. The kitchen conceals the chaos of daily life with a hidden office, concealed ironing board, four station rubbish and recycling zone and built in toy boxes for each of the three children. The mudroom at the homes entrance conceals all video equipment and a plethora of school bags, shoes, cricket bags and sporting equipment.

There are four large bedrooms, each fitted with customised built-in wardrobes and the master includes an ensuite with powder room. The main bathroom features a free-standing bath with separate shower, vertical heated towel rails and double vanity. Tapware throughout is lead-free for durability and health. Zero-VOC paints from the SJW Elementals Collection by Resene are used both inside and outside the home providing another layer of eco- and human-friendliness

“The renovation has been truly remarkable and is a pure delight to live in with our new baby and young family. The kitchen and customised joinery, open plan living, art frame TV, sheer and block out curtains, beautiful mudroom, paint scheme and furniture provide peace and relaxation. We feel like we are living in our own piece of luxury” Cameron Bullus 2019.

The Forest Nest Collection is a series of prints taken from a large private commission Forest Nest for a growing family with a newborn on the way , a long term client of St James Whitting Interior Design. It has personal references to family within the original ., Modelling compound, acrylics, oil and crayon on canvas interweave in a meandering forest laden with the clients memories of a children’s slide, the back garden man shed and fairies dancing in the forest.

Catherine Whitting was engaged to capture the view from the back yard and local bushlands that surround the home and celebrate it through texture with a colour palette derived from the interior design scheme.

The Forest Nest Collection Whimsical playful, childlike moments of ghost gum blush pink dance randomly through the textural heavy verde foliage, floating above washes of soft silver, ochre floors and tantalising texture. Painted during Australia’s worst fire season on history and completed on a night of long awaited downpouring rain this celebration of our local landscape creates a visual awareness of and homage to our sacred bushlands

The colour palette for the Forest Nest collection was derived from the interiors and the site – from the surrounding bush lands near Lake Macquarie with soft timeless sage green and white, rustic copper, blush ghost gum pinks, watery greys, solid matt charcoal black warm ochres and verde greens. Colours are deliberately pared-back to blend with the natural surrounding environment and assist to maintain a comfortable timeless palette.

The interiors were designed by St James Whitting for a growing family with a newborn on the way, Forest Nest is the embodiment of all that a home should be; a functional sanctuary to relax in, enjoy life, with a place for everything and everything in its place.

Resene Paints, Modelling compound, acrylics, oil and crayon on canvas

email Catherine@stjameswhitting.com for details

FORESt NEst – family transformation

Designed for a growing family with a newborn on the way, Forest Nest is the embodiment of all that a home should be; a functional sanctuary to relax in, enjoy life, with a place for everything and everything in its place.

Designing custom made functional joinery was the fundamental design solution for this family home. Designed by St James Whitting and constructed by Zarrella Kitchens nine separate zones of custom made joinery created ample storage for a home that was previously stuck in the 1980’s and busting at the seams. The once dark and foreboding U Shape kitchen – seen below in the before image – was completely opened up with the use of structural beams concealed in bulk heads to ensure a light filled an open home with separate but connected zones for the activities of a busy family .