Home sweet home with Wendy Moore

As a self-confessed Francophile, kitchen designer Dominique McAdam's home is packed with clever ideas to steal and you don't need to head to France to get the look - although, let's be honest, it couldn't hurt!

If you ask kitchen designer Dominique McAdam, 60, what’s great about her apartment in Potts Point, Sydney, you better grab yourself a cuppa and settle in. This self-confessed perfectionist is completely in love with her home. “It’s absolutely beautiful. I get joy everywhere I look, but part of my joy is finding those right chairs to go with the dining table, or choosing the right little light for that spot,” she says with a smile.

It’s more than perfectionism – this wonderfully unique home is an expression of all the things Dom loves, each item thoughtfully selected and every design decision made with liveability and functionality in mind. How can it be, then, that it is also brimming with French antiques and handmade artefacts, each imbued with special meaning? “I like things that are so relaxed that if something breaks, you don’t worry about it,” says Dom. “I’m not precious. I don’t need all the glasses to match.”

I first met Dominique in my role as editor at Home Beautiful in 2008 when her budding kitchen design company, Provincial Kitchens (provincialkitchens. com.au), was set to become a reader favourite. Years later, she was the person I called to finesse my own kitchen design.

“What drew me to this apartment was that the bones were really good. It has herringbone floors, iron doors, high ceilings and detailed skirting boards,” says Dom. But there were certainly changes to make, particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms.