Designer Series | Global influence infused in mid-century home
“Travel really helped shape my design perspective. Living in Italy taught me softness, timelessness and to see stone not just as a surface but as a practical art form, whilst Japan influenced my love of restraint and texture and the sharpness of clean lines.” - Liz Kavanagh
In Sydney’s Northern Beaches, interior designer Liz Kavanagh reimagined a mid-century home by infusing international design inspiration while featuring the enduring beauty of sintered stone surfaces.
Having lived in Italy and Japan, Liz demonstrated through her Beacon Hill home renovation project how influences from these countries can manifest the perfect balance between warmth and movement as well as the calm coolness of contemporary design.
In addition to her global influence, Liz’s home designs are deeply personal and tell the story of the people who live there. In this project, the owner’s fondness for mid-century modern design inspired her to pursue a subtle rather than a literal approach, interpreting the era in a more contemporary way.
"The design was really about honouring that character while making it feel relevant and enduring," she explains.
Driven by Smartstone Sintered Collection’s ability to strike a "perfect balance between aesthetic and performance", Liz chose Bellini Bianco for kitchen benchtops, end panels, and splashback to anchor the kitchen’s aesthetic as well as deliver the durability to endure the test of time.
According to Liz, Bellini Bianco features warm toffee tones that bring a sense of richness, while its cooler grey veining maintains a fresh, modern feel.
"Smartstone allowed me to bring warmth and movement into the space, while giving my clients a surface that endures everyday life," she notes.
When it came to the styling, Liz treated the Smartstone surfaces like a "gallery plinth", explaining that the styling was not about adding more but amplifying what was already there.
Rather than cluttering the space, she intentionally chose sculptural, tactile objects such as vintage and mid-century inspired pieces as reference to the home’s original era and, at the same time, celebrate shape and shadow without competing with the stone’s natural movement, letting it remain the hero while the surrounding pieces quietly support it.
To balance the richness of the flooring and joinery, skylights were introduced to flood the kitchen with natural light. Curves were also introduced in key elements, including the rangehood, where the stone complements the Venetian plaster surround. This feature softens the stronger mid-century angles and gently rounding out the overall concept.
Design and Styling: Liz Kavanagh Design
Project: Beacon Hill
Featured Stone: Bellini Bianco
Application: Kitchen benchtops, end panels, and splashback
Builder: Product Constructions
Joiner: Sydney Professional Kitchens
Stonemason: Prime Marble & Granite
Plasterer: Venetian Plastering Finishes
Photographer: Mikey Conlon Photography
“I’m drawn to Smartstone because it strikes that perfect balance between aesthetic and performance. Materials need to look beautiful and considered, but they also need to work hard — especially in a kitchen.”
– Liz Kavanagh
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