- Interior
Intensity and control are not mutually exclusive, at least not in this renovated family home in Sydney, Australia. As a directive, YSG Studio was told by the clients that they wanted to come home to what feels like a boutique hotel. There is no shortage of boldness and variety in textures here, which is clear from the first steps inside.
With Black Diamond as its name, it is not surprising that this project has a profile full of expression. The concept had to be opulent without crossing the line with excess. Previously, the property was wrapped in grey walls and the layout felt oppressive. At the time, the outdoor spaces were not a smoothly integrated part of the house and the view of the city did not quite come into its own. With three floors, there was a lot of room at hand to turn this into something completely different. YSG Studio transformed the residence into a renewed idea full of assets and a logical and uninhibited floor plan. Founder Yasmine Ghoniem has gathered a very diverse and skilled team behind her since the beginning. 
With roots in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and elsewhere, the experts together form a structured hodgepodge of insights, contributions, and experiences. Ghoniem herself draws on an instinct for adventure. Her childhood years had nomadic overtones, as she grew up scattered across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Sydney. With her visionary flair, design seems the most logical career today, but her former trajectory is also coloured by other interests. That is to say, she spent several years in music and dance, but eventually shifted her focus to interior design. In 2013, she partnered with landscape architect Katy Svalbe and together they founded Amber Road. In just a few years, the initiative would grow into one of Australia's most renowned studios. Eventually she felt the itch to start something in her own name and develop her strengths even more, so in 2020 she took the plunge to put YSG Studio on the map. With her own multidisciplinary agency, she brings architecture, interior design, and curation together under one name. Since then, she has rightly received several awards for her work, and together with her staff, she put her shoulders to the wheel on this phenomenal renovation project.
Those who want to reap success must be daring
Apart from the carefully developed atmosphere of the house, several structural modifications took place. These were necessary to appropriately tailor the property to the needs of its occupants and better fulfil its potential. The primary living space is located on the second floor. First, the decision was made to add a part of the interior area to the terrace. Previously, in fact, there was a glass alcove that extended outside, awkwardly dividing the available outdoor space into two. That structure was scaled back and replaced with more user-friendly sliding glass doors. In addition, two central partitions were removed so that the floor plan inside could be arranged more logically. The interior walls were replaced in the form of steel planes that serenely blend with the space. For extra support, they added a teal column, as well as a canary yellow and a neutral pole. This floor accommodates cooking, eating, and relaxing. Although the space retains an airy feel, the construction with the open shelves serves as a subtle boundary between the dining room and the TV corner. At the same time, the sightlines remain intact, and the dynamic is still very open. 
Want to read more about this impressive talent? You can read about it in the Spring 2024 edition of Imagicasa Magazine.
Photography by Anson Mart
Text by Cara Jacobs