Whether you’re building from scratch or undergoing a major renovation, one of the most intimidating, and arguably the most fun, part is choosing the finishes. Whichever end of the scale it falls for you, getting inspiration from magazines, social media, and homeware stores is key to helping you create the look and feel you’re after in your home.
For those who really need to immerse themselves in a space to see what a considered approach feels like in practice, a display home, such as Metricon’s Catalina, is a masterclass in how to get it right. Walking through this beautiful build, you’ll notice how every finish has been chosen with intention – stone and timber surfaces, soft curves. Beyond the glossy pages and photographs, the right elements can genuinely change how a space feels to live in. And if you’re still in the planning stages, the accompanying trend-attuned Metricon lookbook is a great starting point to help you narrow down your preferred palette and style.
What really makes a house a home?
It comes down to materiality and intention. In the Catalina, every finish is layered to create depth without noise — warm, tactile and considered at every turn.
That warmth begins in the kitchen, where Carpathian marble benchtops, splashback and rangehood cladding make stone the undisputed hero. Paired with walnut-toned Navurban veneer cabinetry in Birchgrove, Formation Lux pendants by Nook Collections and Bosch appliances, it’s a space that’s as functional as it is quietly spectacular.
“We wanted the interiors to feel calm and cohesive, so we layered soft plastered walls, warm walnut joinery and stone with expressive veining,” says Metricon’s national display home manager Lisa Goodsall.
The same warmth carries through to the bedrooms and living areas, where the earthy colour palette works quietly in the background to create a sense of ease. The walnut joinery, soft neutrals and natural textures layer together to produce something that feels neither stark nor overdone — just genuinely, unpretentiously welcoming. This is a home that wraps around you.
Curves in all the right places
Move through the home and the design detailing does the heavy lifting – arches, a statement staircase and double-height voids create a sense of drama that never tips into excess. A Villeroy & Boch basin and natural stone finishes carry the material story into the bathrooms, where a freestanding bath anchors the ensuite as a genuine retreat.
In the living spaces, an Escea gas fireplace with marble hearth draws the room together — the kind of feature that makes a home feel lived-in and loved from day one.
Calm, considered and completely liveable
The best interiors don’t shout; they settle. There’s a growing demand for homes that feel restorative, where every finish, every fixture and every storage solution works together to create something that simply feels right. The Metricon Lookbook is a great place to start planning your own version of that, and if you want to experience what it truly feels like to get it right, visit the Catalina display home, or any of Metricon’s 150 display homes across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.
Shop the look
From the inset textured wool rug to the boucle modular sofa, create a calm, considered inner sanctum for your home.
- Atlas Orbit Side Table in Natural Ocean Marble from Globe West, $2,485
- Silvio Dovecote Rug from Weave, from $1,499
- Keir Vases, Short and Tall from House of Walton, from $369
- Juno Cloud Modular Sofa from Globe West, POA
With over 50 years of experience, Metricon is Australia’s leading home builder, celebrated for design innovation and award-winning homes that reflect the way Australians live today. Every home is crafted with a meticulous commitment to quality and detail—underscored by 10 consecutive years as Australia’s No.1 home builder, a testament to the trust placed in the brand by tens of thousands of homeowners nationwide.
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