THREE COLOURS BLUE

After being stripped of its original character, this century-old federation home in Sydney's inner west was restored with a clever new build and sympathetic interior

- laura barry

who lives here Graeme and Maggie Smith, their daughters Lily, 17, Ruby, 15 and their Hungarian Vizsla, Jaffa. Interior design by Sonja Kritzler Kritszlerlink.com | @kritzlerlinkstudio

Moody blues Blue is the reigning colour in the living area, with a blue &Tradition sofa and a blue and white rug from Cult Design. The green leather occasional chair is another piece from Jardan and is styled with an &Tradition side table. Fools Gold artwork by Stacey Rees. 

WHEN INTERIOR DESIGNER Sonja Kritzler, principal of Kritzler + Link, was brought onto this project in 2018, it was classed as a renovation. However, the 1902 early federation home in the leafy suburb of Haberfield required a rebuild within the existing footprint of the original house, with constraints of heritage guidelines. “The building had undergone a number of alterations prior to clients buying it in 2017,” says Sonja. “The exterior brickwork had been replaced with orange brick, the roof frame had been replaced with a lower pitch, the chimneys had been removed and all the windows had been replaced with aluminum framed units.”

RECONSTRUCTION The owners wanted to faithfully reconstruct the original federation house while utilising the unique trapezoid shape of the property and engaged architect Colin Filmer to draw up plans. A modern back pavilion for family living was on the wish list, along with an entertainer’s kitchen, butler’s pantry, timber floorboards and a gas fireplace for the living area.