Fashion stylist Tanya Levak lives in this inner-Sydney cottage with her fiancé Tom Bromley, a civil contractor, and their playful 3-year-old staffy Luna.
As this is the couple’s second renovation, they had a good idea of what would work for their lifestyle.
“We love to entertain and host people and I feel the bigger the kitchen, the bigger the sacrifice on space in the dining and living room,” Tanya says.
So they went for a single-wall kitchen with floor-to-ceiling storage. The dining table doubles as an island bench.
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As a fashion stylist, it’s only natural that Tanya has an eye for decorating, too. She found her dining table at Mitchell Road Antique & Design Centre and teamed it with Italian Midji chairs from Classique, ordered through her interior designer sister Natasha Levak.
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A Japanese Art Deco chandelier from The Bronte Tram in Sydney is the focal point of the dining area, and an elegant accent in the contemporary space.
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Tom, pictured here with staffy Luna, did a great deal of the renovation himself.
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Vignettes are created with travel mementos, such as the coasters and a candle from Mexico.
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Bringing a sophisticated wash of colour to the living room is a custom-made sofa from Natasha Levak, upholstered in a petrol-blue Warwick Fabrics velvet.
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The front courtyard has herringbone paving that echoes the tiles inside the home. On the walls, lines have been scored in with the back of a grinding disk. It’s all been done by hand and creates the look of big sandstone blocks.
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The bathroom features faux-marble porcelain tiles, from Academy Tiles, laid in a herringbone pattern.
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The master bedroom is a study in neutrals with whitewashed timber floorboards, walls painted in Dulux “Lexicon Quarter Strength” and white and pale grey bedlinen and curtains. “When it comes to styling, I love white,” Tanya says. “But it can’t be all white! So here I added in soft grey and lots of texture.”