Smcaasruta

With the colour palette dialled to neutral and a less formal aesthetic, this Sydney house has a new lease on life.

Having lived in their Hunters Hill house in Sydney for 10 years this family was very appreciative of the suburb and its attractions as well as the space and convenience of their house. But as the family’s three children had grown the layout no longer suited their needs or the way they lived. They looked at moving but could not find anything suitable, deciding that a makeover of the home was their best option.

At the first site meeting Juliette Arent, principal of interior design studio Arent & Pyke, was immediately aware that many rooms were either under-utilised or not used at all. “The rooms felt closed off from one another and the family heirloom furniture was overbearing,” she says. “Entire rooms were left empty for days, without life or soul.”

Initially the brief was really open, Juliette says. “The owner was curious to see what aesthetic direction we would take, her main requirements being the functional aspects.” While the owner’s preference was for a neutral palette she was keen to explore new colours and furnishings. Juliette’s starting point was to rethink the arrangement of the layout, eschewing the traditional formal rooms for more casual and flexible spaces. “We often find the more formal spaces of traditionally laid-out houses are rarely used,” she says.

In place of the heavy timber casement doors Juliette introduced lighter and more contemporary steel-framed glass doors that enhance the connection between rooms, and indoors and out. Together with a softer colour palette and some standout furniture choices, the front rooms now have an elegant, modern edge and are a drawcard for the young family when they want to relax.

The rarely used formal dining area was given a new purpose and personality as a music room, the furnishings edited back to just two Cassina ‘Utrecht’ armchairs, upholstered in different shades of blue which break up the formality of their symmetry, sitting on a circular woven abaca rug. With uninterrupted sightlines to the kitchen, the room is perfectly positioned for the owner to keep an eye on the children as they practise playing their musical instruments.

Other rooms were similarly repurposed. The study, formerly dark and separate, has been reinvented with bespoke joinery that caters for the children’s schoolbags, hats and blazers. The subtle take on colour and pattern here comes by way of a leather-topped desk, custom ottomans in Dedar ‘Margaritas’ fabric, a shapely Ringvide Studio ‘Weave’ credenza and verdant views that promote a calm ambience.

The children all had a say in the decoration of their bedrooms, so that stuffiness has been replaced with freshness, including on the custom bedheads in breezy fabrics such as ‘Fig Leaf’ by Peter Dunham Textiles and ‘Cordoba’ by Carolina Irving, plus bedside tables and desks in light oak timbers.

The new dining space that opens to the outdoor entertaining area is in constant use, with its custom oak ‘Atticus’ table by Lowe Furniture and Hans J. Wegner chairs atop a deep-blue rug from Robyn Cosgrove. The sculptural Lindsey Adelman pendant light adds a dynamic element to the soaring ceilings in this space.

Throughout the house, carpets and lighting were all replaced but the dark-stained timber floorboards have remained as a rich backdrop for the neutral hues. Roman blinds and curtains made by Simple Studio in plain fabrics continue the serene theme.

Eventually every room in the house was reimagined, redefined and given new life. “As the design process progressed the more enthusiastic the client became to further change,” says Juliette.

“For me, the success of a project lies in the way the owners interact with the new spaces and how comfortable the transition is,” she says. Mission accomplished. # arentpyke.com