LIGHT FANTASTIC

An inspired renovation has brought light and energy to a once-dark terrace in Sydney's eastern suburbs - and opened its owner's eyes to some exciting possibilities.

- Chris Pearson

While the owner of this house in Sydney’s eastern suburbs is a high-achieving professional, she admits renovating sat well outside her comfort zone. “I had never done it before and I had been looking for something that did not require any work,” she says of her house-hunting back in 2020. But, despite an intensive search, nothing fitted the bill.

Then the solo mum with a young son came upon this handsome 1880s terrace, which ticked many boxes – the leafy area, solid bones, lofty rooms and period details such as ceiling roses and tessellated tiling beautifully preserved. But it would need work – and plenty of it. “I nearly didn’t buy it,” she confesses. “It was poky and compartmentalised, and so dark I didn’t see how anyone could get the light in there.” The tricky orientation, with the non-party wall running along the southern side and a high wall dwarfing the backyard didn’t help. She asked Alexandra Kidd of Alexandra Kidd Interior Design for her advice. “Alex gave me confidence to proceed,” she says. “Although it was not my plan to renovate, I knew she could bring light and fresh air into this home.”

With colleague Jessica Gombault, Alexandra guided the owner through uncharted territory. The brief was, erm, brief and simple. “I must have been terrible. I did not give much direction,” the owner admits, although such brevity could be bliss for some designers. “It just had to be fresh, light and liveable, not too fancy, comfortable but not grand. We are not a sit-down-at-the-dining-table formal family, rather we eat at the kitchen bench.” So the formal living and dining rooms in the front section got the instant thumbs down.