A high-decoration townhouse renovation where bespoke wall treatments bring cohesion, drama and architectural clarity.

Project Snapshot

Empire of Light is a substantial townhouse renovation in Elwood for a growing family, focused on reconfiguring the internal floorplan and elevating the architectural detailing throughout the home. With construction now complete, the project showcases extensive bespoke joinery, custom wall treatments and carefully considered spatial planning, with furniture, artwork and styling to follow.

Client Brief

The brief was to modernise and reconfigure the existing townhouse while embracing a sense of high decoration. The clients were drawn to classic architectural detailing and wanted the home to feel layered and expressive rather than minimal. The challenge was to introduce strong decorative elements in a way that felt intentional and balanced, pairing traditional references with contemporary materials and modern functionality.

Design Story

Empire of Light was conceived as a study in cohesion through repetition. Rather than layering multiple decorative devices, the design centres on a single, highly considered wall treatment that establishes rhythm and structure throughout the home.

A fully bespoke wainscoting profile was developed specifically for the project. The 100mm profile is applied full height across the entire ground floor, wrapping hallways, living and dining spaces and continuing through key circulation zones. A 50mm shadow gap detail was introduced to maintain crisp proportions and avoid visual heaviness. Finished in Lexicon Quater, the wainscoting provides a refined backdrop that allows light, shadow and architectural detailing to take precedence.

This approach was deliberately chosen to support the clients’ desire for high decoration and work with the existing mock Georgian influence, while avoiding pastiche. Rather than adding layers of ornament, the wainscoting becomes the primary architectural gesture, allowing darker timber veneers, metal finishes and contemporary materials to sit confidently in contrast.

Internally, the ground floor layout was reconfigured to improve flow and functionality. Living and dining areas were anchored by a new fireplace and an extensive run of custom joinery that integrates a bar, entertainment unit and concealed Daikin bulkhead air-conditioning system into a single architectural element. The kitchen was completely redesigned with integrated appliances and a patina brass shroud framing the cooktop.

Previously underutilised areas were carefully reconsidered. A former downstairs bedroom was converted into a dedicated study and library, while the existing bathroom and laundry were reworked into a glamorous powder room, a butler’s pantry and a compact laundry beneath the stair. Upstairs, an unused family area was transformed into a new bedroom, and the primary bedroom received a significant upgrade with custom joinery and concealed LED lighting integrated behind newly introduced wainscoting.

With construction now complete, the architectural framework of Empire of Light is firmly in place, ready for the final layer of furniture, artwork and styling.