the art of INTERIORS

Colour and texture are the stars of this apartment, writes MARGARET RAFFERTY

- MARGARET RAFFERTY

TOP TIP ‘If money is tight, don’t buy a lot of cheap stuff because you feel desperate to fill the place. You’re better off making sure it’s clean, you have the basics, and can move in and relax for a little while before committing funds to the extras.’

WHO LIVES HERE?

Chrissie Jeffery and husband Richard Banks have called their apartment in Sydney’s Potts Point home for the last six years. The building itself dates back to the early 1900s and the common areas of the apartments retain much of the character of that time. However, the couple’s use of colour and their passion for modern art mean their corner of the building is nothing if not contemporary.

‘When we moved in, the previous tenants had been here for more than 15 years and all the rooms were painted oaky yellows, drawing room red and those sorts of very late ’80s colours,’ says Chrissie. ‘I felt that what we needed to do was just paint it out, so I painted the whole apartment soft white, painted the woodwork white and cleaned and stained the floors.’

SAY YES TO COLOUR