All The Right Moves

A family who relocated from London to Sydney found a special home in this Federation beauty. Although it wasn’t so beautiful at first…

- John McDonald

Moving a household from one side of the earth to the other is challenging, but perseverance and a little good luck will see things through. Such was the case for Andrea Stark and her family, who had been living in London for 15 years until a move to Sydney cropped up in 2013. They had packed up all their furniture, sent it to storage in their new home city and moved into a serviced apartment while they searched for a place to buy. Four months elapsed before Andrea, her husband (both originally from New Zealand) and their two children, Olivia, now 15, and Luke, 13, found this 380m² Federation property a stone’s throw from a harbour beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. “From the minute we set foot inside we knew we wanted to make it our home,” says Andrea.

The interior of the circa-1910 house was very dated, with a palette that included creamy yellow walls, blue floor tiles and lots of chintz and clashing patterns. But, says Andrea, “It had all the features we were looking for: high and detailed original ceilings, tall french doors, beautiful cornices and generously sized rooms. It felt really unique and different to anything we’d viewed.” However, it was in need of a renovation.