When it came to designing a home for herself, interior designer Emma Blomfield wasn't short of inspiration. In fact, her problem was filtering through ideas collected over a 15-year design career. "I wanted to make so much of it beautiful," she says. "But I had to keep reminding myself that things needed to work well, or it would frustrate me forever." The two-bedroom apartment on Sydney's Lower North Shore with a bathroom and powder room, was built in the 1930s and possessed a layout typical of its era, featuring a series of small, segregated rooms. In addition, several unsympathetic renovations had removed many period features, leaving it devoid of charm. Undeterred, Emma says, "When I walked in for the first time, I saw so much potential."
She attacked the renovation in two stages. "Phase one of the project was the smaller, more cosmetic changes," she says. "I wanted to restore some of the features that had been removed over the years." This included painting the walls, restoring the original Cypress Pine floorboards and reinstating the Art Deco ceiling roses and cornicing details. Phase two involved the major tasks of creating an internal laundry and replacing the kitchen and bathroom. "I ripped out the kitchen and bathroom at the same time to streamline my trades and ensure I was only moving out for a short period of time," she says. "I knew I'd never muster the courage to come back for a second round, so they had to be done together."
Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Home Beautiful.
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Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Home Beautiful.
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
BRING TO LIGHT
A DULL AND UNINSPIRING HOME IS REINCARNATED AS AN IDYLLIC SEASIDE ABODE FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR
CALI CLASSIC
TAKING INSPIRATION FROM THIS BUNGALOW'S EXTERIOR, A COUPLE REVIVED THE INTERIOR WITH CALIFORNIA SOUL
SEA CHANGE
A DATED PROPERTY IS TRANSFORMED INTO A FAMILY'S FOREVER HOME WITH A FRESH BLACK AND WHITE PALETTE
Paradise found in LOS CABOS
ON THE POINT OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA, THE DESERT MEETS THE SEA AT THIS AWE-INSPIRING MEXICAN OASIS
THE gardener's LOG
With only one month until spring is officially here, August is the last chance to give your plants a winter prune and shape your garden for summer
COME RAIN OR SHINE
It took two months of dedicated, daily work to transform an almost bare yard into this contemporary garden
BOLD STROKES
DARE TO EMBRACE THE DETAILS THAT MAKE YOU DIFFERENT FOR A KITCHEN DESIGN THAT FEELS PERSONAL
CREATIVE connections
THE RENOVATION JOURNEY OF THIS BANGALOW HOME TOOK A EUROPEAN-INSPIRED ROUTE BACK IN TIME
SET IN STONE
WITH ITS ALLURING MIX OF MATERIALS AND ERAS, THIS HOME OFFERS A MASTERCLASS IN ENDURING STYLE AND ELEGANCE
Escape time
WELCOME TO THE ULTIMATE COUNTRY RETREAT, A SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS WEEKENDER WHERE THE ONLY CHALLENGE IS BRINGING ONESELF TO LEAVE