Prue Ruscoe
From the intricately carved Italian-inspired front doors to a Moorish-style dressing room upstairs, and living spaces evoking French baroque and Swedish neoclassicism, this Sydney house is an enchanted journey through seemingly disparate styles and eras. Yet they all combine beguilingly in their own European union.
The Italianate five-bedroom mansion with harbour views wooed the owners in 2014. “The privacy and serenity of the property captivated us. We immediately knew it was special, and that we could turn it into our dream home,” says the wife.
The facade is painted in a custom mix of Dulux ‘Whitsunday Island’ in quarter, half and full strength. Galvanised steel doors and windows. ‘Lafayette’ wallmount sconces by Urban Archaeology New York.
Walters wicker loungers with petrified wood tables by Ærena Galleries & Gardens.
But first it needed a lot of work, so they hired Dylan Farrell, then with Thomas Hamel & Associates. After setting up his own practice, Dylan Farrell Design, Dylan remained lead designer and retained Thomas’s senior designers Kirsty Lindsay and Bernie Groombridge on the project.
The living area has a sofa designed by Dylan Farrell and made by Atelier Furniture. Gustavian chair from Lief Los Angeles. Maison Jansen églomisé mirror. Photograph by Candida Höfer.
“The flow needed rationalising,” says Dylan. “Rooms were closed off from one another, ceilings were low and the kitchen dominated with its central position. It was also ornate, with Greek columns and giant mouldings.” In a two-year makeover, he gutted the home, leaving just the shell. He introduced views and light from one room to another by expanding internal openings and from the outside by enlarging the windows and replacing timber mullions with slim galvanised steel. Meanwhile, the outside was rendered and painted.
Carved oak 19th-century entry doors from Marc Maison. Italian brass and marble table from Blackman Cruz LA.
Dylan shifted the kitchen from the centre of the house to the side, and created a TV room where once the kitchen was. The living and dining became open plan, enlarged by a piano area – formerly a study – and the master suite was reconfigured to create a “spoke-like set-up” from the entry, offering dramatic visual vignettes into the ensuite and robe.
In the master bedroom is a French 19th-century gilt armchair from Conley & Co. Bedside tables from Melissa Levinson Antiques LA. French Regency writing table with Italian brass ladderback chair C1950. Palm ceiling lamps from Woka Vienna. Silver archtop mirror with cartouche from On Reflection UK.
In the master ensuite is a custom vanity by Adam Hart. Mirror from Dering Hall. French 1940s crystal and gilt chandelier and Baguès Art Deco sconces, all from Newel NY. Stone and concrete flooring by Euro Marble.
The wardrobe has a chandelier by Juliettes Interiors London. Repurposed window screen from Galleria d’Epoca Florida. Swedish neoclassical stools. Dressing room island custom made by Adam Hart.
For the decoration, the Europhile owner drew ideas from time spent living in the UK as well as frequent Continental excursions, but she wanted a lighter, less formal touch. “From the architecture of the old buildings in London, to the romance of the old French chateaux and Italian museums, there was no single source of inspiration,” she says. “My job was to put this European eclecticism on steroids and make it feel appropriate to the setting,” adds Dylan.
The formal lounge and piano room has a sofa designed by Dylan Farrell and made by Atelier Furniture. ‘Chantilly’ ottoman by Hamel+Farrell for Jean de Merry. A pair of grey Louis XVI-style fauteuils from Antiques Period Boston. French 19th-century carved display cupboard from Legacy Antiques Dallas. Gustavian chair from Lief LA. Gustavian settee from Dienst + Dotter NY. Yves Klein gold leaf coffee table. Stainless steel and red resin side table by Adam Thomas Hebb from Habite LA. Artwork by Salvador Dalí.
Living room bergères from Embree & Lake Dallas. Stainless steel and red resin side table from 1stdibs. Yves Klein coffee table in gold leaf. Maison Jansen églomisé mirror.
Cornicing and panelling in every room deliver Continental chic, as does the organic moulding on the entry ceiling, which Dylan deftly cast himself. The Mediterranean tour continues with tiles from a French chateau, Venetian polished-plaster walls and ceilings, marquetry flooring, gilded doors, and Morocco-inspired tadelakt in the bathrooms. Architectural items, such as doors, tiles and cornicing, were bought from around the world, as were the furniture and fittings, including around 50 crystal chandeliers, sourced from more than 100 antique dealers.
Family room has mother of pearl wallcovering by Maya Romanoff. C1940 wall sconce from Guinevere Antiques London. ‘Trianon’ sofa bed from Simon Horn London. Custom ottoman by Atelier Furniture.
The furnishings cover diverse periods and places, such as a Swedish neoclassical sofa, a Louis-style carved étagère and rocket-shaped side table. Here, periods mingle in one object with antiques getting a new lease of life, such as two Napoleonic bergères which have been re-covered in a blue paisley damask on one side and white crushed velvet on the other. And some are uncompromisingly edgy, such as the 1960s Yves Klein gold-leaf and perspex coffee table that dazzles in front of an elegant Art Nouveau-inspired sofa in a rich melon velvet. Also, in a room where you can expect the unexpected, the bare reclaimed oak floorboards introduce a loft-like element.
Antique French and Austrian chandeliers in the kitchen. Stools from Thomas Hayes Gallery LA.
Victorian doors from Newel. Custom joinery by VRD Detailed Joinery with hardware from Restoration Hardware.
For his colour cues, Dylan drew inspiration from Sydney’s lush vegetation and brilliant sunlight, using splashes of “saturated hues – bright golds, vibrant greens and melon colours that make you want to bite into them. But it quietens down in the main bedroom.” Well, almost – a vibrant malachite armchair makes a dramatic statement.
Formal dining room has de Gournay wallpaper from Milgate. Gregorius Pineo chairs from Kneedler Fauchère. Oak and iron table from Bie Baert Belgium. Kate Moss triptych by Chris Levine. Serip chandelier. Behruz rug.
In the dining area, exquisite hand-painted chartreuse de Gournay wallpaper, an Italian mid-century parchment sideboard, crisp handpainted dining chairs from LA, a Belgian dining table that repurposes an industrial table, a Murano vase, contemporary artworks and a Portuguese crystal chandelier rub shoulders. “It’s the interplay of objects,” says Dylan. “They come together as a fresh and dynamic vignette. It’s bold, but with restraint, so it doesn’t feel chaotic. Even the leopard-print chair doesn’t look out of place.”
In a child’s bedroom is a late 19th-century French polychrome duchesse brisée from C Mariani Antiques San Francisco. Aynhoe Park Collection Hollywood Regency ostrich feather floor lamp. Restoration Hardware chest. Cadrys rug. Sheepskin from NSW Leather Co.
With this striking juxtaposition of meticulously curated objects, the whole is much more than simply the sum of its parts. Which could be why the owner can’t nominate a favourite space. “It’s impossible to pick,” she says. “It is the house itself, in its entirety, that we will love forever.”
For more, go to dylanfarrell.com; thomashamel.com.
