Natural materials — selected for how they age rather than how they appear when new — bring depth and tactility. Light plays a defining role: filtering through an elliptical skylight and sculptural staircase, or opening fully through floor-to-ceiling glazing that extends the living spaces into the garden.

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INSIDE FIRST 

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For Conrad, the starting point is always the interior. “My design process always centres around the interior architecture of the project,” he says. “It’s the part that connects architecture and interior design — and the part that has the biggest impact on the end result.”

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Here, proportions and sightlines set the tone. Windows and doors are positioned not just for function, but to shape atmosphere. “The interior architecture describes the relationships between spaces,” he adds, “and how light is controlled to create emotion.”

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The result is a house with two distinct but connected conditions: more composed, intimate rooms toward the street, and a more open, fluid sequence of spaces facing the garden.

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RESTRAINT AND CONTRAST 

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The façade is intentionally understated. Rather than assert itself, the house sits within its context — defined by proportion, material and a sense of permanence. Boston Ivy softens the exterior, leaving a limestone portal and dark-stained oak door as the only clear architectural gestures.

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Inside, the language shifts toward contrast. “In some ways, the aesthetic is one of contradiction,” Conrad notes. “Minimal yet rich; restrained yet bold; poised yet relaxed.”

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A warm, neutral base runs throughout, layered with darker accents that introduce depth without disrupting the overall calm. Limestone flooring, Calacatta Paonazzo marble, aged brass and textured European oak establish a consistent material palette — one that prioritises texture over surface.

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Conrad also embraces imperfection. “Valuing the ageing of materials introduces a resilience,” he says. “The wear of everyday life becomes another layer — not something to conceal.”

LIGHT, OBJECTS, AND USE

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Lighting is treated as a primary design tool. “It has enormous power to create mood,” Conrad explains. Each room is calibrated to its use. Bedrooms shift in tone throughout the day, echoing natural light cycles, while spaces such as the gym move between warmer and cooler settings depending on activity. The effect is subtle, but cumulative.

 

Furnishings and objects are introduced with the same level of control. Pieces such as the Cassina Utrecht chair, Delcourt Collection sofas, and a Glas Italia Marlene mirror sit alongside artworks by Robert Klippel and Terri Brooks, adding moments of focus without disrupting the overall composition.

 

Designing for himself brought a different rhythm. “My own home came with tighter spatial and budget constraints,” Conrad says. “It became an after-hours project — something that evolved over time.” Yet the process was also more direct. “I already understood the brief,” he adds. “There was no need to define it — it was instinctive.” 

 

In the end, the house reflects that clarity. Controlled, tactile, and quietly expressive — a space shaped less by gesture, more by proportion, light and time.