Featured in VOGUE ARABIA.
Levantine Soul: Inside a Sydney Home That Celebrates Lebanese Heritage
Words by Karine Monié
“Bound by their shared Middle Eastern heritage, an interior designer and a homeowner transform a Sydney house into a sanctuary celebrating migration, belonging and family life.”
Leaving your country of origin by choice often feels like an adventure, a privilege to explore the world and a chapter you can close whenever you wish. But when it isn't your choice, it can be painful. Either way, a subtle nostalgia arises over time, as if geographical distance only deepens the need to connect with your heritage to truly know who you are. Joumana Sukari, who helms Australian studio Sukari Design alongside her sister-in-law Michelle Sukari and lifelong friend Antonina Scotti, knows this feeling all too well. “I was born and raised in Australia, but both my parents are from North Lebanon,” she says. “My father moved to Sydney at the age of 21 in search of greater opportunities, while my mother immigrated with her family when she was 14. They fell in love and got married here.” After her father had established his own real estate development business, the couple decided to return to Lebanon in the early 1970s with her two older brothers. “They spent two years reconnecting with their homeland and family with the intention of staying permanently. However, as the war intensified, they made the difficult decision to move back to Australia, seeking stability and security for their growing family. I was born after their return.”
“The things she valued in her home mirrored what I valued in mine. The similarities in our upbringing were striking. What started as a professional relationship quickly turned into a close friendship. We bonded over our shared love of and longing for our homeland, the experience of having ageing parents and the importance we both place on keeping our heritage at the centre of our lives.”
So when the opportunity to design a three-level, 900-square-metre, five-bedroom home in Sydney for a Lebanese family came my way, the project felt like coming full circle. “The homeowner and I reconnected after 20 years when she reached out to me on social media looking for an interior designer,” Joumana recalls. “Our parents are from the Lebanese village Dimane and our families used to meet at annual community gatherings.”
“As we began working, we quickly realised we were cut from the same cloth,” the interior designer shares. “The things she valued in her home mirrored what I valued in mine. The similarities in our upbringing were striking. What started as a professional relationship quickly turned into a close friendship. We bonded over our shared love of and longing for our homeland, the experience of having ageing parents and the importance we both place on keeping our heritage at the centre of our lives.”
For Joumana, these sensibilities naturally found their way into the home’s design language. “I’m drawn to natural stones, timber, carefully crafted details and the character the materials develop over time,” she explains. To capture the same, she layered a serene palette of ivory, greige, taupe and clay with marble, dark walnut, blackened metal, aged brass and bronze accents. She also added subtle touches of rust, reddish-brown and deep-blue surfaces through curated furniture, rugs and art. Balanced by her Australian upbringing, Joumana also harnessed light and connection to the outdoors.
The approach is instantly visible in the entrance, where a staircase clad in Volakas marble from Turkey forms a sculptural centrepiece. “The veining is carefully matched across each tread and up each riser, creating a continuous pattern that follows the ascent,” she describes. This expressive pattern contrasts with the main marble flooring. A custom iron balustrade follows the curve, with its slender loops balancing the stone’s solidity. A gently scrolled handrail adds a traditional element, while a sculptural alabaster pendant lamp by Australian lighting design brand Lost Profile Studio hangs in the central void.
Further inside, the emphasis shifts from craftsmanship to the rhythms of family life. Joumana considered how the open-plan kitchen, made of calacatta Vagli marble and dark timber, and including pale-coloured cabinetry, tan-leather stools and the organic Petra pendant light by Christopher Boots, could encourage conversation. She also thought about how long dinners could be hosted comfortably, while turning the breakfast nook under the bay windows into an intimate setting for everyday meals. “Most weekends our home is filled with family and friends,” shares the homeowner. “Hospitality is a huge part of our culture, so we wanted a space that could accommodate everyone effortlessly, whether for a large family lunch, a special celebration or an impromptu gathering.”
That same instinct for comfort has been carried into the family room, where a generously proportioned Giorgetti sofa (the owner’s favourite furniture piece) anchors the arrangement. A coffee table, also by Giorgetti, complements its dimensions, combining glass and leather to balance transparency with warmth and texture. Next to the fireplace, a Gubi daybed offers a quieter space to recline.
Elsewhere, the home takes on a more dramatic character. “I think it tells a story,” the homeowner shares. “Rather than walking directly into a grand foyer, you are first greeted by an intimate portico, beautifully designed by Joumana and the Sukari Design team. It gives the entrance a lovely sense of welcome.” As you move inside, the lounge – the owner’s favourite room – delivers a “wow” moment with its sweeping eight-metre-high ceilings and softly draped curtains. “It has a real sense of drama, but still feels warm and lived-in, the perfect spot for our family to relax and bond,” she adds.
Among the meaningful elements that give the interiors its refined yet livable feel, two commissioned artworks by artist Zeina Saadie truly embody the residence’s spirit: My North & South and Dame. “Including Zeina’s work was a meaningful way to weave Lebanese creativity into the family’s everyday surroundings,” notes Joumana, who travels to the Levant country with her family whenever possible. “Going back always feels like returning home. There is a profound connection with the land and the generations that came before us.”
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Photography: Dave Wheeler
Styling: Claire Del Mar
Interior design: Sukari Design
Production: Sarah Jelly
This article was originally published in the October 2026 issue of Vogue Arabia.