Honey, we’re home!
50+ pages of stunning transformations
“WE WANTED THE KITCHEN TO BE A MONOCHROME SPACE, WITH
THE MARBLE ISLAND AS THE STAR .” KELLIE HUSH, OWNER
Fashion maven Kellie Hush is famous for her precision-cut hair and clean-lined outfits. Whether she’s dressed for business or weekends, she radiates effortless chic. Not surprisingly, a similar clean aesthetic and style confidence defines the renovated home she shares with her husband David Bugg and their daughters Amelia, 14, and Lola, 11. Kellie, former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar Australia, and David, a podiatrist, bought their semi-detached home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in 2006. “At the time, we were living in a two-bedroom apartment down the road. We had a baby and we’d walk around the area, dreaming about where our next home would be,” Kellie says. When they came across this house, it had just been passed in at auction and was consequently up for sale. The couple made an offer, which was accepted. “We stretched ourselves to buy it,” she adds.
Built circa 1910, the east-facing brick home was located on the high side of the street, on a corner block. The front facade bore original Federation features – timber fretwork and panelled leadlight windows – while the interiors had been updated in the early 1980s. “What attracted us was the light, and being a corner block meant it would never be built out,” Kellie says. “It needed a lot of work, but it had great bones.”
From the outset, the couple had their sights on evolving the house into their forever home. “When we moved in, we had one child and wanted another,” says Kellie. “We couldn’t afford to renovate the whole house, so we put in a new kitchen and bathroom. They were just cheap options to get us through but we ended up living with them for 10 years.”
Fast-forward a decade and the couple were ready to begin a full-scale renovation. They had admired the extension of a
semi across the road by Welsh+Major Architects, so approached the firm with their brief – increase the number of bedrooms from three to four, and create separate living spaces for adults and their then soon-to-be-teenagers.
At the top of their wish list was the desire to harness the natural light and turn the house into “a big light box”, says Kellie. “We love the beach and we love sunshine. David surfs and the girls are in Nippers so we naturally spend a lot of time by the ocean. I describe us as optimistic people and our love of sunshine is part of that. Living in a light-filled home makes us happy.”
The family lived over the road during the 18-month renovation process, and David was on-site every day as co-manager of the project, alongside the builder. The house sits within a heritage conservation zone, which meant the front of the property couldn’t be changed. The original two front rooms were retained – they’re nowthegirls’bedrooms–buttherestofthehousewasdemolished and excavated 2.5m at the rear.
To maximise space within the compact footprint, Welsh+Major devised a layout of three storeys. On street level are two bedrooms, a family bathroom, kitchen and main living area. The first-floor extension houses the main bedroom, second bathroom and an officespace;anadditionalliving/entertainmentroom,guestroom, laundry and powder room are located on the lower-ground floor.
Central to the design is a glorious 6m-high void extending all the way from the ground floor to the curved ceiling of the first floor. White walls and large picture windows ensure that light floods, refracts and bounces throughout the home. “Our architect said a lot of people would be tempted to put another bedroom in that void but we were adamant that we wanted to create a feeling of space,” says Kellie. “When people walk in here for the first time they’re surprised by that height and the curved ceiling.”
They’re also blown away by the dramatic central stairwell. Designed with a curved wall – a feat of engineering and plastering – it forms a strong, sculptural statement at the end of the entry hall. “The curved wall was David’s idea,” says Kellie. “It makes the stairwell an artwork in itself.” Curved elements recur throughout – the custom-designed black joinery in the living room and a porthole window in the vast void are two examples.
Kellie and David were keen to avoid the ‘gun barrel’ layout common in renovated semis (that is, a long entrance hall leading to a combined living/dining/kitchen). To circumvent this, the architects created split levels and used different flooring materials to demarcate the different zones. Here, the front bedrooms, hallway and main living room are on one level, all with French-oak flooring. The rear kitchen/dining zone is stepped down and features a polished-concrete floor.
When it came to the interiors, Kellie and David opted for a monochromatic scheme of white and black with grey floors. “We wanted a black and white base which we could furnish with colour and change it up if we wanted to,” says Kellie. David
“I FOUND I WAS DRAWN TO THE MINIMALISM OF MILANESE DESIGN – PROBABLY BECAUSE
I’ VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN MILAN! I LIKE LIVING IN CONTEMPORARY SPACES .” KELLIE
“I LOVE LIVING IN A MONOCHROME HOUSE, BUT THAT DOESN’ T MEAN THERE’S NO COLOUR . IT APPEARS IN OUR ARTWORKS AND IN THE GIRLS’
BEDROOMS .” KELLIE
ABOVE LEFT Custom joinery and Brodware taps are teamed with marble in the upstairs bathroom. Calacatta marble benchtop and herringbone tiles, Marblous Group. ABOVE RIGHT The grey Chanel blanket on Kellie and David’s bed was purchased in Paris. The artwork is a Lidiko Kovacs print. BELOW Left and right Custom joinery and soft pinks in Lola’s bedroom. Moooi ‘Non Random’ suspension light, Space. The artworks are framed Hermès scarves. OPPOSITE Amelia’s room is fresh in white and denim blue. Vintage table lights, Revival Antiques & 20th C Design. Kartell ‘Componibili’ storage unit, Space. >
ABOVE LEFT Lola and Amelia contemplate a swim in the backyard’s 5x2m plunge pool. ABOVE RIGHT The front facade of the house retains its Federation character, complemented by new landscaping featuring sandstone retaining walls and hardy plantings. RIGHT The eye-catching exterior brickwork is an out-of-the-box idea. “The house cantilevers at the back, which gave our architect the opportunity to create drama with this angled brickwork,” says Kellie. “It’s a work of art and when the afternoon sun hits that part of the house, it creates beautiful shadowing.” Waterstruck bricks in Wheat, Wienerberger. The builder was Allen Wilkins of AE Builders. OPPOSITE It may be compact, but the 7x7m rear courtyard is in constant use. In one corner is the natural ionic pool – a magnet for all the family. On the other side is a barbecue area surrounded by greenery. Sliding glass doors open the home right up to this space. “We open up the doors, put music on, and just hang out here,” says Kellie. For Where to Buy, see page 192.
chose the perfect white for the walls (Dulux Whisper White), while Kellie devised the decorating schemes. Her love of marble and admiration for contemporary Italian design shine through: the bathrooms feature black and white joinery with marble herringbone floor tiles; the kitchen is white with black accents and a show-stopping island topped with Calacatta marble.
Colour was gently introduced through soft furnishings – in the cushions and the Tammy Kanat rug in the living room, for example – but the main splashes occur in the art on the walls. “It was important to us to have a bit of a gallery space,” says Kellie. “Eventually, I’d love to fill every wall of the house with art but that takes time.”
Kellie is now working as a consultant to several fashion brands, and is a board director of the Melbourne Fashion Festival. She’s still busy, but without the overseas travel that used to take her away from the family for 10-12 weeks a year. Much of her work is now conducted from home, and she revels in being able to enjoy “the light house”, as she and David call it. “The four of us are all home bodies and it’s lovely living in a space where you can see the light change throughout the day. Even on a grey day, there’s light here. That was important to us.” > Welsh+Major Architects, Surry Hills, NSW; (02) 9699 6066 or welshmajor.com.