HOUSE OF FUN
The owners of this classic Victorian-era SYDNEY home had one criterion for its interior design: to bring them joy. The result is a COLOURFUL, art-filled haven of sheer delight.
The owners of this classic Victorian-era Sydney home had one criteria for its interior design: to bring them joy. The result is a colourful, art-filled haven of sheer delight
In conversations between interior designer and stylist Claire Delmar and her clients, Kate and Alistair Champion, fun is a recurring theme. Despite having lived through a 12-month renovation of their Victorian-era home in Sydney’s Woollahra with their two small children, Felix and Lotte, Kate insists that the overall process — although not without its challenges — has been a source of joy. For behind the 1880s façade of Icilus, a five-bedroom house set on 853 square metres of manicured gardens, the former finance advisor and her entrepreneur husband have, with Delmar’s guidance, created a surprising art-filled wonderland.
“We didn’t want the house ever to be stuffy and we didn’t want it to be bling either; we always had a ‘no shiny’ rule,” says Kate. “We wanted it organic and textured, something that just grows with you. The word to describe it would be ‘playful’ but it’s still refined. It was really easy making design decisions with this house. I don’t know if it’s just working with Claire but this is a home that brings joy, and I feel like you can’t not come here and have fun.”
Here, Claire and Kate talk about what they love most about the contemporary new living space and how it reflects Kate’s love of fashion and art.
Claire Delmar We call it the art house. Kate and Alistair love contemporary art. It’s been such a nice story between us. We’re on this WhatsApp group 24/7 and are constantly sending each other references. They are extremely fun and visually savvy clients.
Kate loves colour. They’re a young couple and love to entertain, so the brief was to make the interiors more contemporary with youthful pops of colour — which we’ve achieved via the artworks — mixed back with the maturity and serenity of a neutral palette with a nod to the French via additions like new wall panelling.
It’s not their forever home. When Alistair and Kate bought the property they weren’t sure if it would be their permanent home, so all the pieces are custom-made but designed to be easily removed. This goes for the drinks cabinets and consoles right down to the tasselled trim on some of the beds, which is detachable, so if they want a change of style it’s easily done. Everything had to be flexible and timeless. The space may not be permanent but the pieces needed to be forever.
I first met Kate and Alistair when I styled their weekender house in Palm Beach. Originally I was asked to do the furnishings in their new Woollahra home but the brief kept growing. We’ve tried to create different areas — some spaces that are fun for entertaining and others that are calm yet inviting. My favourite room is the formal living room. It’s the interplay of shapes, with textures and the repetition of elements — like the pleating in the model’s skirt in the Miguel Vallinas Prieto photograph above the fireplace, and the pleats in the base of the dining table — that bring a sense of subtle cohesiveness to the space. It also says something about Kate’s personality, because she has such an incredible wardrobe fuelled by a lifelong passion for fashion. I focused on emulating that part of her personality in the choice of art throughout the home.
Kate Champion Buying art has been really fun. I’ve always loved art — for our wedding we didn’t want any presents, we wanted people to put in for an artwork. My mum is really big in the art scene in Adelaide and her house is like a gallery, and I feel that’s been replicated here in some way. I love the Heidi Middleton paintings and also the Deborah Paauwe photographs. The Anya Pesce
Fluro Pink work at the front door makes me happy because when I leave the house, it’s that bright burst of colour. This hallway is very dark so it shoots light through the space.
The biggest challenge was deciding to go grey. I really like white and I was worried it would feel very dark but I’m so glad we did it. I’ll probably never go white again. I think it’s contemporary; it’s fresh. What Claire has achieved is something that feels unlike anything else. There’s a high level of practicality — it’s a clever design, which is both functional and whimsical.
We lived through the renovation with a baby and a four-year-old. You just have to kind of relax into it. And now, a year on, we’re having our first-ever dinner party. We always said it would all come together at once; the baby would start sleeping through the night and the house would be finished.
I love that in the family wing upstairs we’re all together. I feel we’re united. The playroom is very special, too, magical and inviting. It’s the most-used room in the house and the children never want to leave. And I also love the guestrooms. They’re peaceful and it feels like you’re in a fun hotel. It’s nice because there are little quirky bits here and there but it’s also calm. It’s like the personality of our family. We’re a bit weird — fun but a little bit quirky.
This house hasn’t been rushed and I think that’s why it’s so beautiful. Everything has just happened in its own time. I love being here and I can’t wait to create more magic on the next project.