The living room of Tamsin and Patrick Johnson's restored 1920s home in Sydney. Custom sofa in a Dominique Kieffer fabric, oak armchairs by Frank Lloyd Wright; Italian 19th-century crystal chandelier; triptych over console by Daniel Boyd; wall sculpture over mantel by Curtis Jere. For details, see Resources.
It's hard not to be mesmerized by the marble island that takes center stage in Australian designer Tamsin Johnson's home in Sydney. Carved from a striking hunk of gray Bianco Gioia stone, the audacious design features a gravity-defying counter perched on plinths of marble stacked in a jagged-edge arrangement. The result may look like minimalist sculpture, but it's not just for show. The island is fully kitted out with everything from drawers to power outlets. “I love spaces that are equal parts functional and beautiful,” Johnson says.
If her home has a fashionable feel, it's by design. Both she and her husband, Patrick Johnson, have roots in fashion. Tamsin studied the subject in college and then interned with Stella McCartney in London before pivoting to interior design. The daughter of Melbourne antiques dealer Edward Clark, she has a showroom in Sydney where she sells vintage furnishings, mostly from Europe. Patrick, who grew up in Adelaide, worked as a tailor in London before founding his own custom tailoring business, P. Johnson Tailors, with showrooms-designed by his wife-in London, New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne.
The kitchen's custom island is in Bianco Gioia marble. Sink fittings, Perrin & Rowe; vintage pendant and sconce by Gio Ponti.
OPPOSITE, LEFT: In the stairwell, a Murano chandelier by Striulli Vetri d'Arte hangs from the original decorative ceiling.
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Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av Elle Decor.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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MORE, PLEASE
Eric Hughes joins forces with Standard Architecture to transform two neighboring homes into a sprawling family compound.
SIZED TO FIT
Designer Nannette Brown reimagines a new-build apartment with unexpected depth, character, and texture.
Play It Cool
In balmy Texas, Ashe Leandro brings urbane style and a chill vibe to a home in a historic district.
Mic Drop
For former talk radio star Tom Joyner, Studio Roda creates an oceanfront pleasure pad with out-of-sight views and disco-era glamour.
EYE IN THE SKY
How do you cozy up a Manhattan high-rise? Call designers Hendricks Churchill.
THE JOY OF KØKKEN
In Brooklyn, a writer transforms her kitchen into a space of warmth and connection, blending personal memories with Scandinavian design.
CURTAIN RAISER
ELLE DECOR partners with designers Christine and John Gachot to refresh an iconic lounge at a New York institution, the Metropolitan Opera House.
The Empire Strikes Back - A 19th-century gem in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gets a tour-de-force restoration thanks to Frances Merrill of Reath Design.
Is it possible to simultaneously go back in time and leap forward? This was the challenge a couple set for themselves upon purchasing a salmon-pink 1869 house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, not far from Longfellow House, the National Historic Site that served as George Washington's headquarters during the revolution. We loved all the beautiful old details of this house, the homeowner says.
Just Like That, But Cheaper. -One writer tried to replicate a classic ELLE DECOR interior in his apartment. Could he do it for $500?
It was all about the green curtains. In 2008, to my great surprise, I was offered a ninemonth fellowship based in New York City. I had lived there twice before, both times unsuccessfully, meaning I had failed to create any kind of significant social life, and so this was a chance not only to do research for my new novel, but also an opportunity to get things right. I swore I wouldn't let the city break me a third time.
And How! - Decorator Nick Olsen transforms a Sag Harbor home into a Hamptons retreat with an irreverent humor.
If you must go to the Hamptons, however-because it is devilishly good fun, after all-you may notice an apparently modest, low-slung cottage on Sag Harbor's Main Street and think, with a comfortable sort of feeling, Now that is how a house should look. Nestled amid the Botox bars, helipads, and club-staurants, it could almost set the sordid world aright both a rebuke and a solution to the chaos that surrounds it. A real home.
