IN THE DETAILS
A sympathetic renovation brought this Sydney home into the 21st century without losing its Federation charms.
Having never renovated before, the owners of this Federation bungalow in Sydney’s eastern suburbs were determined to do it properly. They lived in the house for two years before engaging Luigi Rosselli Architects, who came highly recommended by a work colleague. Space for the family of four was tight in the single-storey house, so Luigi and his team proposed a first-floor extension to accommodate the bedrooms, freeing up the entire downstairs area for generous living spaces.
A year-long build ensued, during which time Alexandra Donohoe Church, principal of Decus Interiors, came on board to take care of the interior design. “The house had a lovely traditional feel and we wanted to retain that in the front of the home, transitioning to a more contemporary mood at the back,” she says.
Echoes of the home’s past can be seen throughout, from the tiles in the entry that are reminiscent of old tiled verandahs, to the reinstated moulding on the joinery. The formal front sitting room remains, its fireplace updated with a stone hearth and mantel. “The original wedding-cake detailing on the ceiling was too beautiful to do away with,” says Alexandra. So it stayed, along with the vintage pendant lights. An antique-style mirror above the fireplace and heirloom floor lamps blend
“PAINTING THE DOORS AND WINDOWS WHITE WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO B LAND; THE DARK FRAMES GIVE THE HOME STRENGTH AND A BIT OF DRAMA .” Alexandra Donohoe Church, interior designer
seamlessly with shapely armchairs and low-slung marble and walnut coffee tables.
A central hallway runs from the front of the house to the light-flooded rear, where the kitchen, casual living and children’s study open to a deck overlooking the pool. While large-format porcelain tiles were a practical flooring choice in this back section, at the front, original narrow timber floorboards were stripped and stained a more modern chocolate tone. Panelling on the new joinery mirrors that in the front of the house, albeit with slight differences. Alexandra says these changes make it “clear in a subtle way where old and new intersect”.
The home’s “soft and gentle” palette is made up of blues and greens to suit the beachside location: furnishings in cobalt and navy, a bottle-green island bench and cool blues and aquas in the modern Australian artworks. In contrast, dark accents bring a layer of sophistication, such as the balustrading in Porter’s Paints Nautilus, kitchen island in Porter’s Paints Toy Soldier and black pendant lights over the kitchen bench .“Painting the doors and windows white would have been too bland,” says Alexandra, “but the dark frames with the white external shutters give it some strength and abit of drama”.
In the former storage area beneath the kitchen, extra space has been carved out for a wine cellar and bar, a family room and a bathroom convenient to the pool. This area is furnished with robust pieces including an indoor/outdoor rug and a beachy Aqua-bumps print.
Up on the top level, the parents’ retreat, girls’ bedrooms and family bathroom are classic yet contemporary. “It was a simple and tonal approach – not too fussy,” says Alexandra, who continued the colour palette with walls painted in Porter’s Paints Mist and navy bedlinen.
The owners were keen to make the right choices for the home had complete trust in Alexandra’s vision, and. “I found an artwork at Martin Browne Contemporary that I thought would work well – and they bought it the very next day!” says Alexandra.
‘SAME BUT DIFFERENT’ DETAILING SUBTLY DEFINES THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN OLD AND NEW.
KITCHEN Decus Interiors designed the custom joinery. Benchtop in Super White Dolomite, CDK Stone. Gubi ‘Ronde’ pendant lights, Cult. Marte floor tiles in Grigio Egeo, Bisanna Tiles. VERANDAH The family gets plenty of use out of the Teka outdoor table and Roda ‘Harp’ dining chairs and ‘Spool’ armchairs from Domo. Hay ‘Cacti’, Cult. LANDING
The upstairs hallway features a Michael Verheyden suede ottoman from Ondene and Porta Romana ‘Lilburn’ wall light from South Pacific Fabrics. MAIN BEDROOM Alexandra created a tranquil parents’ retreat, complete with custom bedhead made by Paul King, Bemboka bedlinen and Gubi ‘Bestlite BL7’ wall sconces from Cult. Artwork by Alan Jones, Olsen Gallery. POWDER ROOM Walls covered in honed Carrara marble from CDK Stone add a luxe touch to this small space. Porta Romana ‘Emperor’ wall sconces, South Pacific Fabrics. Brodware ‘City Plus’ tapware, Cass Brothers. Iittala ‘Ruutu’ vase, Anibou.