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Filled with light and functionality, this family home close to the city stays true to its classic bungalow roots.

- Judy Pascoe

Moving from Melbourne to Sydney in 2017, Caroline and Jarod were unsurprisingly attracted to the enclaves around Sydney Harbour, especially those to the north near Balgowlah and the North Harbour Reserve. Happening upon a Californian bungalow for sale that was within walking distance to the beach, local shops and reserve, they knew it was the right fit for their family, which includes their two young sons, Thomas, nine, Henry, seven, and dog Murphy.

Wisely they decided to live in the house for a while before embarking on a renovation. This equipped them with all they needed to know about the way the light moved through the house during the different seasons, what they loved about the existing features and which ones they wanted to update.

After three years they were ready to commit to a revamp. They approached their friend Coco Tully of Cote Interiors. The brief was for more light, space and storage, more areas for entertaining, an additional bathroom and a functional layout. Caroline and Jarod were keen to respect the heritage while creating a home suited to a contemporary lifestyle.

The formerly three-bedroom, one-bathroom bungalow has grown into a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home, with an additional bedroom and bathroom occupying the freestanding studio at the rear of the property. Bedrooms and bathrooms are located in the original part of the house opening off a central hallway that leads to the new extension, which accommodates living, dining, kitchen and butler's pantry/laundry. Thanks to the skylit, raked ceilings, the space is flooded with natural light, and the flow from indoors to outdoors is seamless thanks to floor-to-ceiling, steel-framed windows and doors.