Located in the inner-west Sydney suburb of Haberfield and home to a family of four, this heritage listed semi received quite the glow-up recently courtesy of a full renovation and extension designed by Weir Phillips Architects and constructed by Bayside Built. “The house was inspired by French homes and is bright, refined and timeless,” says Doug Carey, the director of Bayside Built.
Lounge roomCustom joinery creates a study nook in the hallway
A traditional federation semi, the original home had plenty of lovely existing features to work with including a 1.5-metre-wide hallway, high (and pressed) ceilings and lovely coloured glass casement windows. The original home was fairly dark though, which is the antithesis of its current state where all of the federation details have been sensitively restored.
“At the front of the home there’s refurbished timber floors, custom joinery in every room, a meticulous selection of stained-glass windows to match the original ones, as well as ornate ceilings that have been given a new lease on life,” says Doug.
BedroomBathroom
And while the owners were keen to respect the home’s history, they also wanted to make it more modern, liveable and far less dim. Key to this process was the addition of a light-filled extension at the rear complete with a double pitched, gazebo style roof that features 360 degrees of automatic windows. “This is the main architectural feature of the space and brings light and breeze into the originally enclosed semi,” says Doug.
The rear extension features a kitchen, living and dining
Another standout design feature is the gorgeous kitchen – a stylish mix of timber, marble and pale grey joinery combines with concealed appliances for a stylish and minimal finish. “The simplicity of using concealed appliances allows the cabinetry surfaces to be showcased. The real oak veneer by Briggs and the beautiful quartzite Artedomus slab, that has been used on the benchtop, splashback and shelf, are real showstoppers.”
Kitchen. We love the oak herringbone floor.
The open plan living, dining and kitchen space flows seamlessly into the outdoors where the new in-ground concrete pool features a custom steel balustrade giving unobstructed views of the pool from the house. “The steel fence looks sleek, and modern yet organically fits within the landscape of the backyard,” says Doug.
Pool
“Overall, it’s sophisticated and luxurious, yet subtle at the same time which will allow the house to stay modern and current for generations,” says Doug.
Photography: Sebastian Photography
An interior designer’s thoughtful and successful heritage renovation
We love a period home renovation around here and when this one crossed our desks, we couldn’t help but sit up and take notice. A modern yet authentic take on…
This 1920s cottage in Sydney’s Marrickville was purchased in a state of despair! But Bayside Built had the vision to design and construct an inner city delight.
The original pokey and dark layout had to make way for open spaces, sleek and uninterrupted lines and an abundance of natural light brought into all the right places.
The addition of a large attic accessed via custom-built concrete paddle stairs gives the feeling of generosity and grandeur.
It is home to a dreamy bedroom and lounge area, offering a clear view of the sky through the use of several roof windows.
“We love how this space is flooded with natural light and offers district views,” says the owner. “Our emphasis on design was to create a smart home that not only looks and feels beautiful but works!”
The renovated basement level now features a cellar and a large open plan living/kitchen area opening up to the rear yard.
Adding two off-street car spaces has ultimately transformed this house into a luxurious, modern home.
Bayside Built is a Sydney based construction and development company that specialises in high-end residential construction aimed at achieving a unique and contemporary product. Doug Carey, director and owner, combines the love of architecture, art, and Sydney‘s vibrant lifestyle when designing and building one of a kind homes.
We all love a house tour but I think we particularly like a look behind the front door of an interior designer’s home, don’t we?! Well, I have a treat for you today with Ioanna Lennox’s 1879 Inner West Sydney terrace.
Ioanna Lennox
While it’s still a work in progress (aren’t all homes, really?), Ioanna, who left her corporate job to follow her passion and work in interiors, has done plenty to transform it. The painted striped runner on the staircase was a project she had been dying to attempt and thought she’d better try it out on her home before attempting the look for clients! She is thrilled with the result and we agree it looks spectacular.
Being her own client was an interesting experience: “The brief kept changing but some things remained the same: it had to be classic, beautiful and elegant, without being over the top; glamorous but in a modern, contemporary way; respectful of the terrace’s original features such as the high ceilings, cornices and fireplaces, but make these work in today’s living environment.
“I started out resonating with the modern French style, then switched to Hollywood Regency, where for a while, everything that I gravitated towards was shiny, shimmery, plush or mirrored! I think the end end result will end up being a nice mix of the two. The colours changed too. Initially, it was going to be all black and white – I wanted drama, lots of contrast and typical Parisian chic. I remember doing a concept board with the “client” being very happy, but six months later, it went out of the window.
“I came across my favourite Bromley nude at an art auction and I begged, begged, begged my husband for us to get it. When we found ourselves the last ones to hold up the little auction card, I almost screamed! I’ve loved and admired David Bromley’s nudes for years and to finally own one was a dream come true. When we brought ‘Chayenne’ home with her striking aqua blue palette, I fell in love with blue. So started my blue phase, which I have to say I’m still in. This meant the formal lounge and dining rooms now had to have an injection of blues.”
Somewhere in all this, Ioanna had to consider her husband, although he was generally happy to leave her to it, so long as it wasn’t too frou-frou or feminine. “I started coming up with the original concept for the front terrace at least three years ago. Finances, Bromley purchases, leaving the corporate world and my mum’s death all played a part in the snail’s pace that things have progressed at.
“To be your own client as an interior designer has be the hardest job ever – I found it frustrating, painful and creatively thwarting. As the designer, I often had days when I just wanted to kill my client! As the client, I just thought the designer was too out there at times for this regular, Inner West family of four. I feel like we got there in the end and even though we’re not yet finished, every detail is nutted out, all the fabric has been bought for the sofa and soft furnishings so nothing else is changing!”
The French wall panelling, which makes such an impact, was at times a nightmare. “I decided to take this on myself just after my mum died. I had my cousin here from Germany, who’s a tradesman but not a carpenter. He called my bluff and said if I was serious about panelling the front rooms, he’d help me. I measured everything up and drew detailed diagrams of the panels to the millimetre, then ordered over 150 metres of timber for the chair rails and panels. Over the next week, my cousin and I worked around the clock.
“When we started putting up the chair rail, we realised there wasn’t one straight wall in the house! This made it all the more entertaining as we couldn’t always rely on the trusted spirit level to hang the panels. In the middle of our little project, my cousin had to return home, so that left me with a very unfinished project. Out of sheer pity or insanity, my husband eventually stepped in and helped. That put him in my awesome husband books for at least 6 months!”
Ioanna selected a duck egg blue/green for the inside of the panels (Dulux Georgian Silver), which interplays with the soft grey background . “I’m beyond thrilled with the results, but knowing what I know now, I’m not so sure I’d take it all on again.”
The entire front of the terrace — formal living and dining rooms, hallway and stairs – have been overhauled. The existing traditional yellow wallpaper, which had over the years become one with the render, was removed, parts of the rooms had to be re-rendered, and the cracked ceiling and ceiling roses reconditioned. Ioanna then chose a warm grey throughout and a dark charcoal above the fireplaces to turn these into a feature.
She kept some of the original furniture (“I had our old mango wood dining table stained a dark walnut with a French polish finish. So too with the dining chairs – I had them reupholstered in a soft blue velvet with nail trim detail. This kept the budget down and it looks like a whole new dining setting anyway.”) Keeping the budget under control meant she could splash out on a Moooi chandelier for the dining room.
Every visitor comments on the wall panelling, which is Ioanna’s favourite element. “It gives the room such presence and grandness, pushes the 3.5-metre ceilings even higher and makes the decorating effortless. Between that and the Bromley hanging on the wall, there’s not much else the room needs – ok, maybe just a nice comfy chair to sip a cocktail in!
“So, is the client content? Yes, she’s happy. But I’d probably never want to work with her again!”
See more of Ioanna’s interior design work on her website. Photography by Stan Ngo and Susan Papazian.
Today I’m delighted to share with you this recently completely project by Point 2 Design with bright, open plan living and plenty of marble. Almost 2 years in the making, interior designers Sarah Gavan and Jessica Enander were involved in the planning of this waterfront property in Sydney’s Inner West from day one.
“The neutral palette, open plan living and stunning views make this an exceptional family home that ticks all the boxes,” says Point 2’s Sarah Gavan. “We were engaged by the client when they first met with the architect to develop the plans for their new family home. The property is positioned on the waterfront at Rodd Point. The family love to entertain and the house was to be designed to allow for entertaining.”
