The surprise element in this bijou Sydney eastern suburbs house, perfectly composed by interior architect Phoebe Nicol, is the pink carpet in the upstairs bedrooms. A brave colour choice it is not too ‘baby’ or ‘nursery’, says Phoebe, nor is it too ‘look at me’.
Rather, the custom floor covering is a warm blush of softness that enhances the femininity and individuality of the elegant home. “It was definitely a brave move but I think we pulled it off,” says Phoebe. “The owner wanted a soft and feminine home and we had been looking at terracotta shades, but then the pink just seemed right and the client was happy to go with it.”
The pink carpet could just be the icing on the cake but there are so many other notable elements in the home, from the peppering of eclectic antiques and the impressive light fixtures to the captivating Thibaut ‘Venus’ wallpaper in the powder room that references the years when the client lived in Florence.
Moving into the home was a significant downsize for the owner who had left a substantial-sized residence and wanted a new look and a fresh start. She consigned most of her existing furniture to storage and embarked on the project with enthusiasm, placing her complete trust in Phoebe. “She was a dream client,” says the designer. “She told me, ‘I know I get the best results when I trust you’. She wanted to get it right and wasn’t willing to compromise.”
The property needed to be completely gutted, and the first move was to apply a waxed plaster marmorino finish to the walls to help bounce light around. “The client was worried that the house would be dark so we worked hard to ensure there’s lots of natural light flooding the rooms,” says Phoebe. A massive skylight over the casual sitting area admits shafts of sunlight and offers blue-sky views, while the new steel-framed doors opening to the leafy-fringed courtyard create the desired indoor-outdoor flow.
Because the owner was accustomed to abundant storage and high ceilings Phoebe was very careful about spatial arrangements. “We had to be smart about how we used the space and the house had to be really well planned,” she says.
From the French-inspired formal sitting room at the front of the house designed as a reading retreat, through the timber and limestone kitchen to the dining area and informal living, the mood is restrained and tonal. A custom curved sofa in white linen is attended by French armchairs and an antique chair in a jaunty Schumacher stripe, all on a custom hand-knotted rug. A chandelier – from the owner’s former home – hangs low over the ottoman and even in daylight it shimmers and sparkles.
In the dining space, the owner’s existing table and tailored chairs reupholstered in a Dominique Kieffer linen sit under a Spanish forged-iron light fitting from The Vault Sydney, presided over by an artwork by Jenny Topfer. Accent pieces are spare and carefully chosen, such as a Murano glass vase with relief detail and a ceramic bowl by Meg Michell, as is the art, including the striking Winter King by Graeme Townsend and a 19th-century Flemish tapestry that hangs in the stairwell.
“Every room has its own personality, but they are all related,” says Phoebe, and this is certainly evidenced upstairs, where the walls of the guest bedroom are in a custom waxed-pink stucco by Porter’s Paints to echo the pale-pink carpet. The room’s dormer window overlooks the leafy street and, reclining against the velvet bolster on a window seat edged in silk fringing, you feel you could be looking onto a Parisian boulevard.
The European feel is further enhanced by a Louis XVI-style painted console table and a carved and painted stool with scrolled arms and fluted legs from The Vault Sydney. The lavish effect is cut through with accents of rattan, timber and brass so it does not seem precious.
The main bathroom answered the client’s wish for a bath and it is neatly enclosed in voluptuous Calacatta Viola marble, which plays off against a limestone-topped vanity. “You wouldn’t think these would go together but they do,” says Phoebe. “There are lots of unexpected combinations in the house but they all work.”
Cue the master bedroom, also carpeted in pale pink and furnished with burl walnut bedside tables mixed with bronze French Empire lamps, a burl walnut chair and gilt mirror. The scalloped white bedhead, walls painted in Resene ‘Spanish White’ and curtains in a glazed linen provide tonal consistency. Outside, a private, sunny terrace with a green screen of trees devised by Wyer & Co. offers a tranquil relaxation spot.
Throughout the home it is apparent that each artwork, light fitting, piece of furniture and colour has been very carefully considered and the exactness of the choices really makes an impact. Able to mine the wonderful cache of treasures that is her business, The Vault Sydney, Phoebe blended pieces of disparate provenance with items that had been in the owner’s collection for years. It is a sophisticated expression of how successfully antiques and personalised objets can exist together in a modern setting.
phoebenicol.com; wyerandco.com.au; dunnandpilcher.com.au