Houzz Tour: Cool, Calm and Just a Little Bit Daring

Having spent eight years working overseas in China, Canada and Dubai, Max and Vivienne Sinclair decided to return to Melbourne, Australia, to start their new lives together. They found a new home in the suburbs and turned to interior designer Sally Caroline Klopper for assistance. Max works from home five days a week, and Vivienne one day a week, so they needed natural light and separate work and play zones. “They also love to entertain and wanted their space to embrace all facets of their life — providing a backdrop to host dinner parties as well as a sanctuary to escape their busy lives,” Klopper says. “They wanted their home to be a reflection of their personalities — fun, charismatic and laid­ back.”

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Newlyweds Vivienne and Max Sinclair and their Spoodle puppy, Roxy
Location: Elwood, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Designer: Sally Caroline Klopper

The couple had a good idea of what they wanted in their home. They were inspired by luxurious hotels and textural interiors they had experienced abroad, and they wanted to create a sense of flow from one room to the next. They also wanted their home to have a calm feel but include charismatic elements.

“The idea in this home was to keep the palette still quite calm and sophisticated but challenge Vivienne a little creatively,” Klopper says. Furniture, lighting and accessories from local and international suppliers create layers of textures, patterns and forms. “We wanted to keep the palette soft and subtle with predominantly blues, grays, charcoals and creams,” Klopper says. “Vivienne was a big fan of Missoni, so we used their Jacaranda textile for the window bench — a brave pop of color.”


Vivienne said from the beginning that she needed to be deterred from making “safe” decisions, so Klopper chose the living area to begin to put ideas in front of her that she may not have had the confidence to select otherwise. “This meant a textured and patterned rug ­setting the tone instantly. We selected fun fabrics and polished metals as well as accessories that were a little unexpected,” Klopper says.


The couple loved the idea of a neutral, calming space with daring accents, and were especially eager to introduce Pop Art to the mix. Toward the end of the project, Klopper came across the artwork of Melma Hamersfeld and knew it would be perfect to balance the Missoni fabric in the neighboring living space.


“Another brave move was the Lee Broom dining chairs, which were imported from London,” Klopper says. “Part comfort and part rock star, they speak the clients’ language.”

It is indeed this juxtaposition between daring and calming features that provides this home with such a soothing sense of character.


While the work areas are firmly upstairs, purposefully separate from play, the living zone has a lot more fluidity. The living, dining and kitchen areas merge into one in an open-plan scheme that’s perfect for entertaining, while the furniture and textures help define each zone when necessary.


Evostyle’s Brooklyn stools in black leather with a natural-stained frame are tucked under the kitchen’s breakfast bar. The bright white kitchen soaks up the natural light in the home beautifully, providing a neutral backdrop for the carefully chosen accessories and furniture pieces.





In the bedroom, Klopper went with a soft palette, creating interest through layered textures. The velvet wall panels sit behind an Italian hand-carved headboard, which is custom­ stained a gray-silver.

The elegant wall sconces are made from gold­-plated brass tubing, fixed together by hand. Referencing the clients’ love for music, these sculptural pieces are inspired by the pipe organ.

The bedside tables were designed specifically for Vivienne and Max and are made of veneer, with antique silver drawer pulls.

“I love wall sconces for their decorative appeal as well as their ambience — they offer a gorgeous soft light, which is perfect for a sanctuary space like the bedroom,” Klopper says.


A key trend at the moment is the gentle layering of finishes and textures. This technique brings depth and interest to a space and, in this particular bedroom, creates a warm and cozy feel.

The entire back wall of the room is clad in upholstered panels. Each panel was wrapped with Dacron and silver velvet before being neatly contoured with a 3-millimeter stainless steel trim. Expertly crafted and concealed, these are fixed to the wall for a smooth look.

Panel velvet: Infinito, Ascraft


The home had inherent beauty and original details, which provided the perfect base for this cool, calm and charismatic new look. Light pours into the hallway, which is home to one of Klopper’s favorite additions.


“The dreamy wall hanging at the entry is still one of my favorite finds. This beautifully calming piece is handmade in Brooklyn from vintage leather, feathers, sticks and crystal. I came across this supplier on a recent trip to New York, and we now sell them at an online boutique, Harklo,” Klopper says.

Klopper embraces the symbolic idea of dreamcatchers: “They were ­ originally used by Native American tribes to ward off bad spirits,” she says. “They believed that the bad dreams would get caught and confused in the webbing and that the good dreams would drip down into the feathers, imparting good spirits onto the sleeping. The idea is to share positive energy.”


The furniture and accessories weren’t the only additions. The couple’s Spoodle puppy also moved in. Here’s Roxy on the charcoal living room rug.

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