OPEN HOUSE
The boundaries between indoors and out are seamless in this home in the capital
On sunny weekends, Lisa Sharistani and her family usually find themselves gravitating towards their chic kitchen-diner, where bifold doors draw back to create a relaxed inside-outside space with the garden. Ironically, this was the last room the couple renovated when they reconfigured their Victorian home five years ago. ‘We had to be patient before we could enjoy this room, but it was worth the wait,’ says Lisa.
That said, the rest of this family home, which Lisa shares with her husband Ali and their son Sami, seven, and daughter Mia, four, is just as stylish and well thought out. ‘I wanted our home to feel calm, comfortable and elegant,’ explains Lisa, who is co-founder of interior design company KEMSI. At home and at work, Lisa’s focus is on how a home is experienced, rather than the superficial elements of design. ‘Interior design goes beyond colours and cushions: it is about how a home makes you feel,’ she explains.
In both the sitting room and family room she has created an airy, easy mood by keeping the spaces uncluttered. Her go-to palette is monochromes with blush and greys; then she adds depth with textures, while glass tables and flashes of brass bring smooth gleam into the spaces. Lisa also favours modern furniture shapes and contemporary prints. ‘I love seeing these modern elements within a Victorian home,’ she says.
During the renovation the couple took care to preserve or reinstate the house’s original period features, including intricate plaster cornices and ceiling roses, shutters and
fireplaces. ‘We needed to do a full renovation but it was just what we were looking for – we wanted a project,’ says Lisa. Over the course of six months they gutted every room – finishing with the kitchen, where they added a rear extension. ‘We flipped the floor plan, moving the dining area to the new extension then brought in more natural light with bifold doors and a skylight,’ says Lisa. ‘It completely transformed the way we experienced the space and gave us a connection with the outside.’ Bespoke kitchen cabinets store everything neatly and even the toaster is hidden away in its own unit. A bench seat conceals more storage, but can then be pressed into service as extra seating when friends or family join them for meals. Throughout this home, in fact, storage is key to Lisa’s uncluttered look. ‘In every room, I designed plenty of storage so that things can be easily tucked away, whether it’s toys in the playroom or a printer in the home office,’ she explains. During lockdown, Lisa and Ali’s home proved how well it worked for family life. ‘The children could be playing out in the garden while I worked at the kitchen table,’ she says. ‘I’m so glad we waited until we knew what we wanted from this space before we redesigned the kitchen. Leaving the best until last has definitely paid off.’