A Scandinavian Spin on a Modern Coastal Home | Behind The Design

Matt and Kath Koch are the enthusiastic husband and wife team behind Hemko Projects + Interiors. They lent on the carefully coordinated minimalistic traditions of Scandinavian design for their modern Australian serene retreat in Miami, Gold Coast — appropriately named ‘Kaari on Kiers’. 

“Kiers Road being the street that we're on in Miami, and ‘Kaari’ is Swedish for arches. Because when you go through the house, you'll notice there's quite a few arches that we've put in,” elaborates Kath. 

Indeed arches are imaginatively echoed throughout the property in numerous doorways and subtly hinted in fixtures such as door handles, exterior windows, glass cabinetry, and mirrors. 

Matt and Kath chose our white and brushed nickel finishes for their tapware, which idealistically complement the tranquil coastal Scandi style in their kitchen, outdoor area, and bathrooms, respectively.   

From the offset, ‘Kaari on Kiers’ is presented as a warmly welcoming environment that creatively splices the hallmarks of tranquil, resort style living with the equally refreshing essence and individuality of Scandinavian design.

“As you arrive at ‘Kaari on Kiers’, you'll walk up the sandstone crazy pavers, and you'll see the door, which is in a beautiful deep aqua colour [...] a colour that we've used throughout the property,” continues Kath. “And when you enter into the entryway, you come through the arch doorway into the kitchen, which is in another green colour, just to keep the theme going throughout the house [...].”

VJ cabinetry and white-painted brick walls seamlessly connect the outdoor built-in stone barbeque. As Matt elaborates, this is a distinguishing exterior feature of the Australian beach house that intrigues with pleasing surprises to come. 

“As you continue through the property out onto the alfresco, you catch a glimpse of the outdoor barbeque, which is built into the stone, and then you can look towards the left and overlook the pool and the tropical planter box with jasmine plants and trees.”

‘Kaari on Kiers’ continues to impress on the second floor too with a spacious upper living area that welcomes plenty of light and leads onto the bedrooms. 

“As you come up through the villa, you go up the stairs, you see three skylights over the stairwell. Through the stairwell, you walk up, you get a glimpse of the master bedroom. On the left is the walk-in robe, which you can see through to the ensuite,” continues Matt. 

The arch motif resumes in the divide between the bedroom and the ensuite and again with the generously sized walk-in wardrobe. 

“Anyone who goes into that ensuite now just talks about how calm it is and that it feels like a real sanctuary,” adds Kath. 

As we have learnt, this coastal home pulls together both the neutral and understated hues characteristic of Scandi, along with the subtle trio of texture, shape, and colour. An arched mirror continues the ‘Kaari’ theme for a bathroom — adding personality with a point of difference for instance.

“Working with ABI has been great. The ordering, the delivery, the communication has been [...] fantastic throughout the whole process,” concludes Matt. 

“The quality of the products is exceptional. [...] when you start out with things on a page and then finally [see] them completed and all come together, that's always a good feeling.” 

Check out Scandinavian Kitchens: Your Guide To Achieving The Look for more inspo.