HGHOUSES
116 | AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN
W
henKristieandPete
Castagna dreamed a
new house into being,
they wanted to create
a holiday experience
to enjoy every day. In a nod to villa
living,thepoolquiteliterallybecame
thecentralfeatureoftheirfamily home
in a northern Perth suburb.
Thehousewrapsaroundthepoolin
abackwardsCshape,saysKristie,an
interior stylist, colour consultant and
lifestyle blogger who works under
theElementsatHomebanner.Living
areasoccupythefrontofthehouse,the
main bedroom suite extends down
thesouthernside,andthechildren’s
bedrooms, bathroom and playroom wrap
around the rear.
“Wewantedthespacetofeeldifferent
toausualhouse,tofeelinsteadlikean
oasisoravillainSeminyak[Bali],”
saysKristie.That’sexactlytheambience
thecoupleandtheirchildren–Jaxon,
nine,andLucia,five–nowenjoy.
Withwhitewallsandrakedceilings,
modernistlinesandconcretefloors.
thehomehasmetitsbrief.Thepoolcan
be seen from each room, while clerestor y
windows and floor-to-ceiling glazing
drawinnaturallight.Theseelements
conspiretoswitchthemindintoholiday
modeandbringtheinteriortolife.
Althoughit’sanewhouse–withthe
couple’sideasworkedintobespoke
plans by DC Design and constructed by
Calautti Homes – stone and concrete
elementsgroundtheinteriortogivean
impression of soul and age. “New homes
don’ttendtohavemuchcharacter,”says
K ristie. “I wanted to weave in textural
elements to create that.”
Colour is a strong feature throughout,
fromthefreshpopsofgreen–Kristie’s
go-tocolour–todeepershadesinthe
children’s bedrooms. >This is the life
The combined kitchen, living and dining area
is the hub of the home for the Castagna family.
“We live in this area – I even have my desk there- and migrate to the pool in summer,” says
Kristie. In warm weather, the children come home
from school and jump straight into the pool,
while on weekends the family enjoys sociable
breakfasts and leisurely swims together.
“We’ve created our own Bali at home!”