Enhancing and maintaining the existing design features of this Mediterranean-inspired house was key to its metamorphosis.
It is gratifying that in a world where old houses in expensive suburbs go under the wrecking ball, there are still clients, architects and interior designers who see the value in breathing new life into existing properties.
Working with Robert Weir, of architecture practice Weir Phillips, interior designer Briony Fitzgerald was acutely aware of the pedigree of this house. “It was designed by Joseland and Gillings, protégées of Professor Leslie Wilkinson, and the go-to architects for luxury houses in the eastern suburbs in the late 1930s,” she says.
With its distinctive Mediterranean-style features and significant lineage, Briony and Robert responded to the embedded design language by stretching, massaging and manipulating the existing house while creating a live able home for a family of five. To do this, the kitchen was shifted from its scullery-like location at the rear of the house, rooms were expanded and new sections added – including a dining courtyard and master bedroom wing – either within the envelope of the house or by sensitively expanding the original footprint. “An important aspect of this kind of project is the quality of the builder, and we found the most collaborative, skilled and charming colleague in Giuseppe Alvaro of Alvaro Bros,” she says.
Denne historien er fra August/September 2017-utgaven av Belle Magazine Australia.
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Denne historien er fra August/September 2017-utgaven av Belle Magazine Australia.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Highly prized
A move into a light-dappled Victorian Italianate building with purposebuilt interiors allowed Criteria and sister company C.Gallery to showcase atelier-based furniture, lighting, objects and art in a unique design gallery.
The gold and the beautiful
An interior designer daringly pushes the boundaries in her own home in Sydney's eastern suburbs - with glittering results.
Poetic aesthetic
There's rhyme and reason in the artful assemblage of European antiques and decorative objets in this gently refreshed Sydney home.
STATE OF MIND
ON NEW YORK’S UPPER EAST SIDE Melbourne-based designer Tali Roth has crafted an apartment that is both classy and comfortable, where modernist icons and contemporary finds sit side-by-side.
PLUM JOB
REWORKING THE COMPLEX BURROWS of an inner-city terrace has resulted in an expansive home for two, with rich hues and pared-back furnishings, all imbued with meaningful custom finishes.
ABSTRACT IMPRESSIONS
SERVING AS A GALLERY for the owners' growing art collection, this opulent yet tricky-shaped apartment in Sydney's eastern suburbs emulates the eclecticism of New York's jewel box apartments.
SMART SPACES
An alchemical mix of luxury furnishings fused with superior surfaces has transformed and elevated these properties.
House PROUD
In a collaboration between Belle and Fanuli, three leading interior designers transform the most intimate rooms of a home into chic sanctuaries.
MUSE WORTHY
The interiors of the Sydney home of arts advisor and advocate Kym Elphinstone are a fitting tribute to her passion for Australian artists and creators.
ENJOY YOUR STAY
Forget the journey, for the Lancemore Hotel Group, it's all about the destination and showcasing high-end Australian design.