Emerald city
This newly renovated home in Queensland is filled with pieces that bring joy to the family who lives there
SEEING GREEN When interior designer Angela embarked on for the renovation of her Brisbane abode, she had a mission – to create a home she and her family, which includes her husband Philippe and their daughters, Albertine and Gardenia, loved. “The finishes are a bit left of centre for some, but we were doing it for ourselves, not for re-sale,” says Angela. Green accents such as the kitchen splashback in handmade Tiento tiles, and a ‘Tulip’ pendant light and ‘Apple’ bar stools from Ascot Living, pop against a brass benchtop, brass-edged cabinetry (here & opposite) and island, all made by Enigma Interiors to Angela’s unique design. The wall clock is from Smith Street Bazaa taps into the colour cues while the cutting board was a wedding present. The terrazzo benchtop is from Signorino. >
There is a code for the happy home, and interior designer Angela has cracked it. So much so that when she was forced to self-isolate for two weeks following contact with a COVID-19 case, she didn’t mind one little bit. “I could not believe how much I loved being here,” says Angela. “This home feels like such a sanctuary.” Filling it to the brim with the pieces that bring her joy – be they particular fabrics that make her heart sing or a painting passed down through generations – was the secret. “Being surrounded by the things you love makes such a difference to how you feel,” she says.
Angela bought her home, in a suburb about three kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD, as a 20-something when it was the “tiniest cottage”. She lived in it with friends before meeting her husband, landscape contractor Philippe. They moved to his place, had two daughters – Albertine, now 16, and Gardenia, 14 – and more than a decade passed before they returned with plans for a renovation to transform her first-home purchase into a “relaxed, inviting family home”.
“I couldn’t wait to do this place up,” says Angela. “Even when I lived here in my twenties, I was dreaming about how to do this.”
A new downstairs level with two bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry was added, along with an upstairs extension including a new kitchen and a beloved family room. Despite the major works, the renovation was completed in only four months. “We had an amazing builder, Nick Higgins of HG Homes,” says Angela. “He was like a magician.”
Then the fun really began. Angela had amassed enough treasures over the years to fill a shipping container, with this house in mind, from antique furniture picked up on overseas travels to gems that caught her eye closer to home and a collection of family heirlooms. Combined with having an avid antiques collector for a husband, this meant they had an envy-inducing assortment to work with. “Better than Christmas” is how Angela describes the day they unpacked all of their boxes to fill the family room’s shelves. “I’d forgotten what half of these beautiful things were, and it was so much fun not only seeing them again, but also putting them up on the shelves I’d been dreaming of,” she says.
With so much sentiment tied to the pieces on display, and so many stories to tell, it’s no wonder this is a home filled with soul. “We don’t have many new things,” admits Angela. “I like a really eclectic mix – and because it’s all so personal, we love it all.”
FAMILY AREA The “main hangout zone” (opposite & above) is decked out with joyful patterns and textures, from a vintage Moroccan rug covering the ottoman to navy, orange and pink Christopher Farr cushions. They served as Angela’s jumping-off point. “Being an interior designer, fabrics are my absolute favourite thing,” says Angela (pictured above, centre, with daughters Gardenia, left, and Albertine). All available through her business, Ascot Living, the pieces are anchored by a Jardan ‘Wilfred’ sofa (in blue) and Bayliss ‘Wilderness’ rug. The wall lamp by the window (opposite) was found at an antiques store three years before the couple renovated, and the artwork next to the kaleidoscopic lampshade is by Elizabeth Barnett – commissioned by Angela for Philippe’s birthday, it depicts Philippe and their daughters. “It’s a treasure,” says Angela. The artworks on the adjacent wall are by Philippe’s father, Jean-Claude Antelme, while the beige ‘Stockholm’ sofa, bright lampshade and ‘Mandalay’ tray on the ottoman are all from Ascot Living. >