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Home Beautiful
Home Beautiful
Diana Moore

Chef Matt Moran invites us into his seaside Sydney home

Matt Moran may be the head chef in his own domain, as cook, restaurateur and TV presenter. But with so many hats to wear, how important is coming home?

As the top chef and head honcho at some of the country’s swishest and most celebrated eating establishments, from the breathtaking room-with-a-harbour-view at Aria to the pretty-as-a-picture Chiswick in Sydney’s east, you could be forgiven for thinking the last thing Matt Moran would want to do when he steps through the very private entrance to his home in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs is turn on the burners. But for this father-of-two, cooking at home is far from work.

Chef Matt Moran at home
Matt Moran’s home is full of warm woods and concrete finishes. (Credit: Chris Warnes)

Whether it’s making chicken soup for his son, Harry, or whipping up a grand final feast for his mates – the National Rugby League, of course, for this bush-to-Blacktown, Sydney-raised boy – cooking here is all about pleasure. “I find cooking at home really therapeutic, easy and relaxing,” says Matt. “I love cooking at home.”

Concrete walls and floors capture a contemporary vibe that is both chic and functional. “I love concrete,” says Matt. “I find it warm – the floors are all heated – and in summer it’s a little bit cool.”

Matt Moran at home dining room
The custom-made dining table won’t be moving anytime soon – “It’s nearly 500 kilos,” says Matt, pictured with Freddie – and is one of the chef’s favourite pieces. It is matched elegantly by sleek Kai Kristiansen chairs (Kai #42) from Great Dane, that allow guests to linger longer in comfort. A pair of Louis Poulsen PH 5 Classic pendant lights completes the designer look. (Photography: Chris Warnes / Styling: Rachel Peters)

“I travel every week – there’s not a week that goes by that I’m not on a plane – but home is my home. I love it. It’s my little escapism.”

Matt Moran
Matt Moran home dining room concrete walls
Sliding doors allow a breeze through the house on a summer’s day, while a chic hatstand is a sculptural contrast to the raw finishes. (Credit: Chris Warnes)

And who wouldn’t, when you have a kitchen like this to come home to? Taking centre stage in the Tzannes-designed three-level property he shares with his novelist wife, Sarah, Harry and 18-year-old daughter Amelia, is what can only be described as a beast of a cooking zone. “I built the house around the kitchen,” says the The Great Australian Bake Off and Family Food Fight judge. Just look at the specs of the kitchen, which carries all the hallmarks of its owner’s trade: a massive commercial extraction system; vast stainless-steel work benches; an ECM benchtop coffee machine that wouldn’t look out of place in a Bondi cafe; four ovens plus microwave; a formidable Lacanche five-burner stovetop; and the – wait for it – purpose-built two-metre by three-metre coolroom. “I often come home at night with boxes of food and, rather than unpack them, I put them straight in there and worry about them the next day,” he says.

Matt Moran home kitchen cooktop
The oven is unsurprisingly the star in Matt Moran’s kitchen. (Credit: Chris Warnes)

But it’s the 4.5-metre concrete island bench that truly takes the breath away. “It’s one solid piece,” says Matt of the deliciously raw feature, poured free-form on site. “It’s all solid concrete.”It’s also built for performance, which is exactly how Matt likes it. “When we’re entertaining, there are four or five people hanging around that front bench and watching me cook, or helping me out a bit – I have a lot of chef friends that come over – so I’m still part of the entertainment, which is really important,” says the hardworking chef.

Matt Moran home kitchen
Matt Moran is right at home in his light-filled kitchen. (Credit: Chris Warnes)

‘To me, regardless of who you are, I think your kitchen is a real showpiece,” says Matt. “The most important thing for me is that it’s actually part of the room.”

Matt Moran
Celebrity home tour: acclaimed Chef Matt Moran invites us into his own kitchen | Home Beautiful Magazine Australia
A rustic chest that doubles as storage provides a foil to the slick finishes in the living room, which is closely connected to the kitchen. (Credit: Chris Warnes)

In Matt and Sarah’s stunning open-plan living space – the beating heart of the home – a modern yet warm, sophisticated style is on show. Concrete floors and walls are softened by sumptuous tallowwood accents and joinery. Sophisticated Danish design with a mid-century tilt flows elegantly beside treasured family photos, striking artworks and a mix of books that hints at the creative couple who live here. “It’s not prissy, it’s not white linen,” says Matt of the raw but inviting and urbane look of the home, which took more than two years to build. “That’s not the way we live. Every space in the house is used.”

“It’s a little bit industrial but warm, and it doesn’t feel too grown-up or too serious”~ Matt

Matt Moran home living room
The lounge area in Matt Moran’s house is unfussy and comfortable. (Credit: Chris Warnes)

Living room

“This is my chair, this is my spot,” says Matt, taking prime position in the open-plan living area. The chef was given the much-loved Eames as a birthday present – “I’ve wanted one for years” – and winds down here after a workday that sees him come home anytime from nine to midnight. “The older it gets, the more comfortable it gets,” he says. “But just lately I’ve noticed more and more people sitting in it.” The prized piece makes a stylish match to the family-sized lounge, imported from Italy (Jardan’s ‘Hudson’ sofa has a similarly slouchy feel). A glass-topped coffee table continues the clean lines of the interiors, designed by Matt with architect Jonathan Evans from Sydney-based firm Tzannes.

Celebrity home tour: acclaimed Chef Matt Moran invites us into his own kitchen
Of course Matt Moran’s cookbook takes pride of place on the coffee table. (Credit: Chris Warnes)

Matt Moran’s cookbook

Matt’s book, Australian Food – Coast And Country, $49.99, Murdoch Books, is available at David Jones. Matt says this collection of recipes combines his great food loves. “I live on the coast and I’m from the country, so it’s got all those beautiful dishes using ingredients you have on the coast and then the food I like to cook when I’m on the farm,” he explains.

Matt Moran's book Australian Food Coast & Country

This article originally appeared on Home Beautiful and is republished here with permission.

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