Today is Australia Day, so in celebration I want to show you this gorgeous single-storey Seventies house in Sydney, which mixes cool retro patterns and shapes with modern design features.

It’s so easy to go overboard with retro furniture – the rule is, keep it simple and buy top quality. It’s clear owners Andrea and Ben Miller have stuck to that rule, mixing simple modern artwork and accessories with a few key pieces, such as the geometric rug and the low armchairs. I can imagine sinking into one of these chairs and watching the amazing Australian sun rise and fall.

Wood and stone are the two main materials that are used throughout the house, and here you can see just how surprisingly warm and stylish these materials can be – even for a bathroom. I am struck by just how many shades of wood there are. The gilt-framed mirror is a lovely glam touch, too.

Turn up the heat with hot pink

All this wood and stone could look dull if it weren’t for the large windows that go around the house. But hot pink adds even more brightness, and what’s more reminds me that when you have a lot of neutral, such as stone and wood panelling, anything can work. A mixture of textures in this room makes it super-cosy too.

See the rest of this house for more Australian decorating ideas