Profiling: Amy Elliot’s Home | Ardo | Ash Roberts I Founder & Architect

“Design that honours daily life, balances heritage with contemporary detail and crafts homes that feel warm, refined and enduring.” This is the philosophy which underpins Ardo’s newest residence, where every material, space and finish has been carefully considered to deliver a home with quiet confidence.

Ardo, a Melbourne‑based architecture and design studio, specialises in creating calm, timeless and highly personalised homes. Their work blends heritage sensitivity with contemporary precision, always mindful of how people live their day-to-day lives. Each project is designed to feel refined, warm and enduring rather than chasing the latest trend.

The client’s brief for this home emphasised retaining the charm of the original house while introducing more natural light into the heart of the home, enhancing indoor‑outdoor connection and creating a family‑friendly space with seamless flow. It called for elegant, refined interiors - somewhere the family could truly live and grow into.

Ardo responded with a design that feels understated but elevated, including a palette and detailing rooted in longevity. Neutral tones provide the backdrop, allowing architecture and natural light to take centre stage. Layered textures of timber, stone and soft furnishings deliver richness and depth, while feature art, sculpture and furniture add subtle contrast and character “that rewards you the more time you spend in the space.”

“We see window furnishings as an integral part of the design, not simply an afterthought”, explains Ardo Founder and Architect Ash Roberts. Working closely with the Lovelight team, the selections were chosen to soften the interiors and support the play of light, ensuring the fabrics harmonised with the broader palette. The choice of material, tone and drape was driven equally by how the space felt and how it functioned.

Ardo looks for window furnishings that balance atmosphere and practicality. The team chooses fabrics that diffuse and soften light while still providing privacy and control. Texture, transparency and how the fabric interacts with natural light are all factored into decisions, alongside the architectural context, the finish palette and the homeowners’ lifestyle.

One of the standout features of this home is its light‑filled courtyard - designed to draw natural light deep into the structure and seamlessly bring the garden inside. This space bridges architecture, interiors and landscape to create a calm heart for the home. While the stone‑detailed kitchen merits admiration for its warmth and craftsmanship, for Ash, it’s the courtyard that best captures the home’s spirit.

In curtain and architectural design alike, Ash sees a trend toward tactility and softness. Natural materials, organic textures and understated forms are increasingly valued for their timeless quality rather than for what’s trendy. There is a growing emphasis on creating homes that feel calm, restorative and grounded - retreats from the pace of modern life.

To ensure a neutral palette never feels flat or uninspired, Ardo relies on layering and lighting. Varied warm whites, soft greys and natural timbers combine with contrasting textures such as stone and linen. Thoughtful lighting - both natural and artificial - adds dimension and prevents calm from appearing bland. By attending to proportion and craftsmanship and by introducing artwork and sculptural pieces, the home continuously evolves while remaining coherent and grounded.

The result is a residence where architecture, materiality and light converge with everyday life. Ardo has crafted a home that doesn’t just look timeless - it is a space in which its occupants can live, grow and feel at ease