We feel so privileged to have a wealth of incredible designers who love using easycraft panels in their projects. Last year we spoke to Zephyr + Stone’s Ania Forster about using Silhouette Convex to create a textural masterpiece. This time around we sat down with Ania’s sister and co-founder Kasia Clarke about the pair’s latest project – and how our General Purpose and Wet Area Interior panels helped them create a charming coastal and contemporary look.
Inspiring The Classic Beach House
Gold Coast-based designers Ania and Kasia are right at home with their latest project. Built by Pilgrim Homes, the Classic Beach House is located in Bundall QLD – just around the corner from the Zephyr + Stone design team. With their client looking to achieve a mix of soft coastal elements with a contemporary yet charming vibe, Kasia says designing the Classic Beach House was a match made in heaven.
“We’ve brought in some amazing classic elements but also been able to incorporate some coastal touches as well,” she says. “The Classic Beach House really is a bit of a hybrid home – one that is simultaneously contemporary, classic and a little bit coastal.”
The building itself has been created as a low-maintenance contemporary home, but Kasia says it also has some great classic features the owners were looking from the start. “It’s not too traditional – it does have a little bit of a nod to Hamptons with classic undertones, but they’re easy to live with and they won’t date,” Kasia says.
Leaning too heavily into one particular style can potentially result in a home’s design becoming outdated faster. Kasia says that while the owners of the Classic Beach House love the Hamptons look, they wanted to incorporate a range of other styles so that they would always be able to enjoy a contemporary, timeless home.
“They wanted it to be their forever home,” she says. “For that reason, we decided to introduce some classic touches with the panelling and furnishings. They are very appealing and deliver that nice coastal feel without being tied to one particular style.”
A Cohesive Look With easyGROOVE
When the client first came to Zephyr + Stone, they had one very clear ‘must-have’: while they wanted the bones of the house and most of the home to be overtly contemporary and neutral, they were also interested in how Kasia and Ania could splice in the coastal classic touches they so desperately wanted.
“We really encouraged them to introduce some VJ-style panelling to the ceiling of the open-plan lounge area,” Kasia says. “We ended up using the easyGROOVE panelling, which features a 4mm v-groove compared to the 7mm groove of the easyVJ – this shallower, less-prominent groove allows for a more subtle and contemporary look. Once it was painted white, the Easycraft ceiling adds beautiful texture and patterns, and it really exudes an understated and luxurious coastal quality without being too dominant. It’s something that’s quite timeless, especially in a location like the Gold Coast.”
Zephyr + Stone introduced the easyGROOVE 150 panelling all the way from the entrance and down along the hallways of the house, through to the open-plan kitchen, living and dining area. That way, guests are drawn in by the consistency and charm of the interior design right from the moment they step inside the home.
“We chose the easyGROOVE 150 because it’s a wider profile (compared to easyVJ100) and offers a bold contemporary look, which is what the owners wanted for their home,” Kasia says. “At 150mm centres, it’s refined and pared-back – and with fewer lines it becomes a contemporary profile. We continued that same profile throughout the entire home, wherever we wanted VJ panelling.”
Bringing Contemporary Charm Into A Coastal Bathroom
As proponents of easycraft products for years, Zephyr + Stone knew they wanted to maintain consistency by incorporating panels in the bathrooms. So with Wet Area Interior, they were able to create a cohesive look throughout the whole home.
“We used the same profile, easyGROOVE 150, with the Wet Area Interior,” Kasia says. “They were installed on select feature walls in the bathrooms and also in the separate toilet behind the main bathroom. Wherever we could and where there was no direct water penetration, that’s where we installed the beautiful Wet Area Interior panels. As the bathrooms have plantation shutters as well, together they combine to create a perfect coastal charm that ties the bathrooms together beautifully.”
Kasia says the use of is not only a nod to what’s happening in the hallways and the open-plan living space, it’s also a cost-effective wall covering – especially compared to completely tiling your bathroom, which can end up on the pricey side.
“While cost wasn’t really a factor in the design of the Classic Beach House, the easycraft panels were the right decision because they allowed us to introduce that exceptional coastal feel, to add a little bit of texture and pattern, and to ensure all the surfaces are warm and inviting.”
There’s a reason why Zephyr + Stone have been using easycraft products for more than a decade – as Kasia puts it, the panels always look fantastic, are easy to install and are cost-effective.
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