Living Colour

Pops of colour, interesting details, and playing with texture all help to put a personal stamp on a rented home, as one couple shows

Renting can be a precarious business, especially when your tenancy unexpectedly comes to an end. That’s what happened two years ago to Lucy, husband James and their two young daughters – Poppy, now nine, and Ruby, seven. But luck was on their side.

“We immediately stumbled across a gorgeous little house that had just been completely renovated. Within a week we had moved in and have called this place home ever since,” says Lucy, who works as a real estate stylist and homewares buyer.

The location of the house was the first ‘tick’ in what the couple were looking for. Lucy grew up in the suburbs, and has always loved the leafy streets and the mixture of old and new houses. “Being so close to so many of our friends and family was also important to us. We can walk to our favourite cafés and shops and I can even hear the girls’ school lunch bell from my kitchen, which is a really nice feeling. It’s a lovely and quiet street as well, unlike the nearby major roads, so that was another big plus.”

Inside the single-fronted weatherboard house the only period features that remain are the ceiling roses in the front two rooms. Everything else has had a complete overhaul, transforming it into an open, spacious and light-filled modern family home.

“We were lucky enough to be the first tenants in the house after the renovation had been completed. I’d never lived in what was effectively a brand new house before, so I put a lot of thought into how it had been designed and where everything should go to make best use of the available space while also keeping it interesting,” explains Lucy.