INSIDE STORY

NERIDA & JAMES’ HOME

WHO LIVES HERE?

Nerida, an architect; her husband James, a project management consultant; their sons, Hugo, 16, and Ethan, 14; plus

Maggie, the Tibetan terrier.

WHAT LESSONS DID YOU LEARN? Nerida: “We are glad we didn’t rush into things. We originally planned to demolish the house, but after we lived here for four years, we realised it had so much character that you

can’t replicate in new houses.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FEATURE?

“The laundry chute in the boys’ bathroom. We don’t have clothes left on the floor anymore.”

WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?

“It capitalises on the view of the tree-filled backyard, which the old house ignored. It’s why we named the house Banyula – it means ‘many trees’ in the local indigenous language.”

1 4 1. What used to be Hugo’s bedroom was reconfigured to create a spacious entry. 2. Maggie greets visitors at the home’s newly created front door. 3. A butler’s pantry leads off the kitchen. 4. The ensuite includes a VJ-panelled wall in Dulux Oolong. Artwork by Katie Wyatt. 5. An Ethnicraft bedside table, In Bed linen and Camilla Q’s ‘Misty Morning Belongil’ print are a stylish vignette in Hugo’s room. 6. Joinery in Dulux Whisper White and a Carrara marble benchtop get the job done in the hard-working laundry. 7. Tactile ensuite touches include a ‘Paros’ hand towel from Aura Home, a ‘Cloud’ vase from Smithmade and a ‘Lucerne’ bowl from Provincial Home Living. 2 6 3 5 7