CHANGE OF SCENE

Serene yet sophisticated, the considered renewal of this beachside Sydney home suits its owners to a tee.

- Jackie Brygel

Becoming empty-nesters can be a time of trepidation as well as transition. For Sydneysiders Amy and Jim, who decided to downsize from the family home as well, emotions ran particularly high. “This is our first home without our children and without our beloved chocolate labrador, who passed away just before we moved in,” she says.

“Not having the kids or the dog around was difficult in the beginning. Jim and I were so used to the noise and chaos of family living that we found the absence of it quite confronting! I had to re-evaluate my idea of what a home is.” Fast-forward five years and the couple, now doting grandparents, couldn’t feel more settled in the house they have made their own.

Set among lush greenery and framed by towering sandstone walls, the 1930s dwelling is located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, just a short stroll to the water’s edge. “It’s very simple in design, and there’s something very serene about it,” says Amy.