Inside Out (Australia)

TREASURE TROVE

An artist and serial renovator turned to a trusted architect to craft a unique masterpiec­e: a family space that displays a beloved collection

- WORDS JOANNE HAWKINS STYLING JO CARMICHAEL PHOTOGRAPH­Y JODY D’ARCY

This Fremantle home was tailor-made for an artist, her husband and their impressive art collection

When serial renovators Leonie (pictured above) and Paul Mansbridge moved into their Fremantle semi, they were adamant that their renovating days were behind them.

Previously living in a warehouse they’d renovated in the centre of town, the couple were attracted to the single-storey house as it only needed a cosmetic makeover and had a space that artist Leonie could use as a studio. “We were finally going to stay put,” says Leonie, who with Paul, has renovated and sold eight properties in the city. “We’d spent all our lives renovating – I don’t think our children ever lived in a fully-finished home.”

When a ‘For Sale’ board went up on a 1930s Art Deco cottage up the road, despite their best intentions, the couple couldn’t help but take a peek. “But we were only going for a sticky beak,” says Leonie. “We had no intention of buying and renovating again.”

However, it seemed the house, which sat on a fairly large 650-square-metre block, had other ideas. After being unable to get it out of their heads (and having just sold their holiday house), the couple eventually threw in a “crazy offer” that was accepted. “I think my initial response was ‘Bugger!’,” says Leonie.

Once the shock of taking on another project wore off, Leonie wasted no time in developing a grand plan for the site. From the outset, she envisaged utilising the large back garden and building a modern self-contained home which, although linked to the original house, could be closed off when the latter was being used as an Airbnb rental or as accommodat­ion for extended family.

She also had a clear vision of how the extension should look. “I wasn’t into replicatin­g the traditiona­l cottage at the front,” she says. “I wanted a distinctiv­e contempora­ry space out the back.”

Auckland-born Leonie also wanted a black box, reminiscen­t of the holiday shacks – or baches – she stayed in while growing up in New Zealand. “Kiwis have a great make-do attitude and a lot of the original baches were made out of plywood boxes used to ship cars over, which were then stained with black creosote,” says Leonie. “I always loved the idea of these black boxes surrounded by the bush, and that’s what I wanted to replicate here.”

Local architect Philip Stejskal, who had worked with the couple’s daughter Sascha on her own renovation, was engaged to bring Leonie’s vision to life. “It can be hard for other people to understand an image in your head but Phil totally understood where I was coming from,” says Leonie.

Constructe­d with innovative structural insulated panels, the resulting extension features an open-plan kitchen/dining/living area plus a bedroom, study nook and ensuite on the ground floor with Leonie’s all-important studio, kitchenett­e and bathroom upstairs.

A key requiremen­t was space to hang Leonie’s extensive art collection – and that the interior design was simple so as not to compete with the many colourful artworks, books, globes and

knick-knacks that the self-confessed collector has amassed over the years. “I didn’t want fussy, I didn’t want curves,” she says. “I wanted straight lines and simplicity because I knew my art would be quite overwhelmi­ng so it was important that the architectu­re didn’t take over.”

The interior fittings, including a polished concrete floor, island bench and a stainless-steel table, also had to be robust enough to withstand the rigours of Leonie and Paul’s younger grandchild­ren. “The kids can ride their bikes around the house and it’s all good,” says Leonie. “That’s what a house is for – it’s not a show home.”

As keen entertaine­rs, the house copes well with large functions, such as get-togethers at Christmas and a hula-themed party for Paul’s 60th birthday, where 100 people packed the house and courtyard. There were also thousands of visitors when the house morphed into a gallery as part of 2015’s Artist Open House Fremantle. “But the space doesn’t feel overwhelmi­ng when it’s just Paul, Jimmy and I, either, so it’s very versatile,” says Leonie.

Despite leaving all the design decisions to his wife (“We work really well together, I come up with the ideas and he implements them,” says Leonie), Paul is equally enthused with his second ‘forever’ home. So much so, that this time around, there’s definitely no chance of another renovation. “This is it,” says Leonie. “Paul says they can carry us out.” See more of architect Philip’s work at architectu­reps.com. 1. Entry 2. Bedroom 3. Bedroom 4. Bathroom 5. Deck 6. Master ensuite 7. Walk-in robe 8. Master bedroom 9. Study nook 10. Deck 19 11. Living area 12. Dining area 20 13. Kitchen 14. Butler’s pantry 15. Laundry 16. Living/kitchen area 17. Studio 18. Bathroom 19. Kitchenett­e 20. Deck

 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia