植物幻境丨澳大利亚新南威尔士丨YSG Studio

Tucked amongst rolling hills and citrus groves on the bucolic New South Wales coast, Plantasia is YSG Studio’s fantastical answer to the question: what happens when a 1990s mock-Colonial house gets reborn as a ‘choose your own adventure’ holiday home?

Designed for a family with young children, this 577-square-metre retreat transforms a once-cavernous white-walled interior into a nature-drenched wonderland where every doorway frames a new discovery and each room tells its own story.

The brief was clear but challenging: cosy up each space without constructing new internal walls. YSG Studio’s response involved gutting bathrooms and the kitchen, while reviving the existing fireplace by widening it and cladding it with patchworked pastel tiles finished with a splash of shiraz.

Nature became the unifying thread. Cork flooring springs underfoot, while over ten different flora and fauna wallpapers flourish across walls and ceilings. The entry vestibule sets the tone immediately—a bright butter-yellow door, fitted with a V.Brokkr tubular brass pull, announces this isn’t ordinary country living. Inside, a yellow-framed mirror acts as a portal, drawing visitors deeper into layered interiors that blend Victoriana elements with Wes Anderson-inspired colour palettes.

The home’s central spine features an infinite hourglass motif rendered in dark cork against caramel tones, suggesting suspended time—a fitting theme for a holiday escape. This curvilinear language continues through an elongated arched doorway connecting dining and sleeping quarters, and in the lounge’s custom timber table topped by a crown of oversized pearl-like pendants.

In the dining room, a generous farmhouse timber table accommodates visiting families beneath a salon-style arrangement of miscellaneous treasures. Mismatched timber chairs—from rustic rush-seated pieces to classic Thonets—recall Goldilocks, while a beige Aurélien Serre armchair with teddy bear-like proportions invites curl-up reading time.

The kitchen’s amoebic timber island floats above a maroon glass mosaic kicker, surrounded by vintage rattan stools. Heavily mottled Rosso Asiago marble benchtops complement the room’s terracotta and earthy red palette. Nearby, inset shelving sheathed in shimmering glass mosaics and Zellige tiles adds textural depth.

Sunset hues—rust, terracotta, burnt orange—balance the lounge’s sage foliage wallpaper. A custom walnut credenza with melted chocolate-like surfaces and Malteser-style pulls adds sculptural presence. Hand-painted squares dot the ceiling, while striped patterns and gingham fabrics introduce off-kilter tension against organic forms.

Bathrooms deliver joyful surprises. The powder room, carved from thick green onyx, features exaggerated bullnose edges, while the main bathroom showcases a sherbet-yellow Rockwell tub beneath cascading citrus-fruit wallpaper—an invitation to slow mornings.

Bedrooms take on moodier personalities. The master suite wears tumbling autumnal foliage with Twin Peaks melancholy, where striped ceilings flip perception and plush sky blue carpet grounds the space. Above the bed, a painting of a couple sharing secrets hints at mysteries beyond the towering trees outside. Another bedroom immerses occupants in Hollyhock-covered ceilings, delivering nature even at bedtime.

Throughout Plantasia, flourishing frills on custom lamps and pendant lighting soften the home’s lack of traditional cornices and architraves. Deepened timber-lined thresholds create framed views between spaces, turning everyday movement into discovery.

This is architecture as storybook—each room a chapter, every surface a detail worth investigating.

[Images courtesy of YSG Studio. Styling by Felicity Ng. Photography by Anson Smart.]