Who lives here: Lisa, a retired business executive and director, with her wife and their two dogs, Poppy & Baby G.
Style of home: A large freestanding one-storey house built in 1911.
Location: Longueville, Sydney, which is on Cammeraygal Country.
Timeline: From its commencement in August 2020, the renovation took seven months to complete.
New steel-framed arched windows have completely transformed this space. The island bench and splashback are clad in Dogal Light stone from Surface Gallery. Cabinetry, Dulux Bottle Green and a custom electroplated-metal finish called Antique Bronze Metal (Astor Metal Finishes has a similar product). Joinery, Navan Bespoke. Lambert & Fils pendants, Living Edge. Yokato mixer, Brodware. B5000 tap, Billi. Window frames, Aldini. Smoked & Black European oak floor, Royal Oak Floors.
As a young girl, Lisa had a vision for her family home and could see its potential. She would often imagine all the updates she would make if it were hers. And in 2001, after her parents had owned the property for 47 years, the chance to make those changes finally came.
“I have a strong recollection of saying to my dad years ago that if it were my house, I’d open up a wall to create one large living area,” Lisa explains. “I never imagined I would have the opportunity to do it.”
Just outside is a ginkgo tree and the start of the Japanese-style garden. Crazy paving, bluestone.
During her childhood, Lisa watched her father spend his weekends exploring ways to improve the home and especially the garden. That trait has been passed down a generation, with Lisa’s pride and joy being the currently Japanese-inspired garden, landscaped in 2007 by Ross Leo of Hana Landscapes. Early on, she also made some updates to the home, such as repainting the duchess-pink walls in crisp white, replacing the carpets and removing two unsightly awnings.
“For years, I had been thinking about how to make the home more bespoke and also more connected to the garden,” she says.
On the island, the ceramic bowl is from The DEA Store and the Gaspard vase is by Maison Balzac. Black ceramic vessel, Ignem Terrae Ceramics.
In 2019, Lisa, who now lives with her wife and pet dogs, sought the expertise of interior designer Amanda Barnett, who’s pictured on the cover of the May issue. They instantly hit it off, with Amanda quickly understanding Lisa’s vision and love for her home and garden. Lisa’s brief for the renovation was to maximise the home’s potential, which already had great bones, including high ceilings and a double-brick structure, and a developed garden.
The curved banquette seating perfectly befits the elegant space. It’s by The Wood Room, as are the table and chairs. No 811 Hoffmann armchair, Thonet. Cushions, Adairs. Serge Mouille ‘Applique 1’ wall light, Cult. Objects by Kerryn Levy, Curatorial+Co. Footed dish, Milly Dent.
Amanda says the design process flowed and evolved easily because of their mutual understanding of what the home needed: “We worked well together and understood the design direction. Also, Lisa was very receptive to my ideas that were different from her original brief.”
A few other interior designers Lisa had spoken with prior to working with Amanda were adamant that the kitchen, dining and living rooms should be flipped to the other side of the home where the bedrooms are, to take advantage of a river view. However, Amanda felt the kitchen and dining room should look out to the serene garden that is Lisa’s passion, and where she spends a lot of her time at home.
Lisa isn’t afraid of colour so designer Amanda Barnett introduced it via artworks and feature pieces. Artworks by Emily Imeson (over console; from Saint Cloche). Kennedy Beckett sofa, GlobeWest.
GOOD NEWS
Amanda replaced pre-existing downlights with LED ones, and used natural products throughout the house, including stone in the bathroom and kitchen, oak on the floors and low-VOC paint on the walls.
“I was fully committed to creating the most beautiful and functional space in that area,” says Amanda. “I proposed swapping the existing sunroom [sitting area] and the dining room and opening up that space to the kitchen, which was not something Lisa had thought of and completely transformed the space’s liveability.”
Artworks by Antonia Perricone Mrljak (behind sofa). Console table, Coco Republic.
The new design included a stunning black steel-frame arch window and a door that opens to the ginkgo tree outside. These also provide an abundance of light. Lisa loved the new layout, and next they worked on selecting design elements and materials for the kitchen.
“I wanted a bespoke design that used colour and fixtures to make it feel lived in, with spaces that evoked a modern-classic feel,” she says. “The new kitchen and dining areas are a mix: French diner with English-car green and copper cabinetry, and stone benchtops.”
Artwork above fireplace, Matilda Michell (above fireplace, Art2Muse Gallery). Armchair and tables, Friends & Founders. The fireplace is Arabescato Vagli marble from CDK Stone. Rug, Armadillo.
Sitting subtly opposite the kitchen joinery is the laundry, hidden behind detailed arched joinery with bifold pocket doors. New flooring and skirting were also installed, and Amanda changed the layout of the bathroom to allow for wheelchair access when Lisa’s brother visits. One of her clever storage ideas in there was to use the void wall opposite the vanity to conceal the toilet cistern and add hidden shelf storage.
“We used the same microcement screed wall finish on the doors of the hidden cabinet so that it blends in seamlessly,” Amanda shares. A stone seat and shelf in the shower were installed to match the vanity and complement the floor tiles.
The fireplace is crowned with Carrara and Rosso Lepanto marble — a great match for the Dulux Rottnest Island wall colour throughout the house. Fogia ‘Embrace’ armchair, Fred International. On fireplace mantel: white ceramic vase, The DEA Store; Byredo scented candle, Mecca; black vase, Katarina Wells; brass box, Dinosaur Designs; Calliope stoneware by Ella Bendrups, Saint Cloche. Terra fine jute rug in Moss, Armadillo. Artwork by Kerrie Oliver through Curatorial+Co.
As far as renovations go, the process was relatively straightforward, with just a few delays due to Covid. Otherwise, Lisa says she’s delighted with all of Amanda’s design choices – and to see her childhood vision coming to life.
“I love that the young girl who saw the beauty in this old home has had the opportunity to realise her dream.”
Tina bedhead, McMullin & Co. Nomad coverlet, In The Sac. Oberon Crescent bedside with marble top, GlobeWest. Lola table lamp by Ray Power, Ke-zu. On bedside: white ceramic vase by Katarina Wells; dish from Love After Love. Artwork by Bronwyn Woodley Graham through Art2Muse Gallery.
LESSONS LEARNT
“Sometimes what’s fashionable might not be the right solution,” says Amanda Barnett, interior designer. “Instead of relocating the kitchen to take in the home’s water views, I factored in Lisa’s love for her garden at the back of the house and left it there. I created a more indoor/outdoor feel and made the kitchen the true heart of the home.”
Amanda designed the vanity and mirror. The vanity, which was made by Navan Bespoke, is a custom-coloured oak veneer topped with Dogal Light marble. The mirror frame is the same metal as the tapware. Dogal Light marble floor tiles and Crackle silver wall tiles, Surface Gallery. For similar timber stool, try Watertiger. Towels, In The Sac. Frama bodywash, Oliver Thom.
Wall finish, X-Bond micro-cement screed in Haze by Alternative Surfaces. Flos ‘Mini Glo-Ball’ wall light, Living Edge. Vase, Milly Dent.
See amandabarnettdesign.com and @amandabarnettdesign
