Beautiful Mindset

A clever combination of old and new gives this heritage house a fresh personality that befits its youthful owners.

- Carli Philips

She likes glamour and he likes comfort,” says interior designer Tamsin Johnson of her clients, and the custodians of this renovated heritage house in Sydney’s Woollahra. “They’re not precious, but they do appreciate beautiful things.”

Having worked on their previous residence five years earlier, Tamsin’s innate understanding of their taste meant the brief spoke for itself. “I felt Tamsin’s eclectic style would be a good fit for the house and so was pretty happy to just let her run with it,” says the client who had already accumulated several antiques. “I wanted a mixture of these and modern pieces that would still pay respect to the more embellished Edwardian features of the house … as well as the sense of history in details such as the original service bells mounted on the walls.” The result is layered vintage that nods to the past, complemented by furnishings, carpets, art and fabrics very much of the present.

“They were dreamy clients with an open mind and were very trusting,” says Tamsin. While no major structural changes were necessary, the house was rundown and “needed a lot of love”.