History lesson Traditional meets contemporary in Sydney’s north

PLANNING RESTRICTIONS PROVED NO BARRIER WHEN CREATING THIS COOL, CALM AND CONTEMPORARY HAVEN ON SYDNEY’S NORTH SHORE

The sea blues and clear skies of Sydney might have been 7000 kilometres away, and the home’s gaudy gilt interiors and heritage overlay a little overwhelming, but Kathleen knew she had found her ever-after home when it popped into her inbox as a real-estate alert. The property was in the same tightly held locale as her parents-in-law on Sydney’s lower north shore, and Kathleen suspected that with some work, it would meet the subconscious wishlist she had compiled during five years spent in China with her husband, Campbell, and their children, Mimi, now 17, and Caspar, 13. “I knew when we moved home we would need plenty of space for growing teenagers, and wanted to be close to the harbour as we really missed catching the ferry to work,” says Kathleen. “We also needed to be close to cosmopolitan life. Living in China brings into focus all that is ideal about Australia, but it also gives you a ‘pace habit’. The buzz of city life is addictive.” A hastily organised trip back to Sydney confirmed that the property, a heritage-listed abode built in 1906, was perfectly located for the lifestyle the family wanted and that, importantly, it could be restored to its former glory. The family took the plunge, bought the home, and then rented it out until they were ready to move in four years later. During that time, Kathleen researched how she wanted to transform the place, which already had an impressive checklist of period features, including high ceilings, ornate character mouldings and stained-glass windows. “I knew I wanted to keep all the original features, but give them a modern context,” she explains. “When we bought the house it had a very ‘Harry Potter’ feel – thick silk curtains, heavy carpets and a palette of brown and gold. I became slightly obsessed. I bought every homes magazine possible and reimagined the space in my head too many times to count.” Many of the design choices Kathleen made during this time – such as introducing herringbone oak floorboards – remained, but living in the home radically changed her opinion on how it should be configured. “It’s a cliché, but you can’t really understand a space until you live in it,” she says. “Things like where the sunlight hits and the traffic thoroughfares aren’t always obvious from a floor plan.” The couple engaged architect Barbara Burton to help them realise their dream. “Barbara was recommended to us by a friend who had worked with her, and who said she’d done a great job in terms of working with council and giving heritage homes a modern feel,” explains Kathleen. Many of the heritage restrictions, including maintaining the roof shingles, applied to the exterior only, so Barbara was able to rework the space internally without too much difficulty, mainly reconfiguring the bedrooms on the first floor. With its chic kitchen, dining room and calmly hued living room, the ground floor remains the very heart of the home. Kathleen, who project managed the interiors herself, relied on her instincts to create the refined look throughout. “I took my dog-eared magazines with me whenever I went shopping and chose pieces that just felt right,” she explains. It’s clear that her instincts, both here and online in China, were right on the money. “We had to be sensitive to the heritage parameters, but I don’t see this as a downside, far from it,” she says. “I am so happy with the way it turned out. It’s a historic home that functions perfectly for us.”