Photography: Prue Ruscoe | Styling: Claire Delmar
One of the more felicitous outcomes of this Sydney Eastern Suburbs home renovation is that “it has more room to breathe”, says architect Adam Williams, director of Studio Williams. Called on to mastermind a second renovation of the property 10 years after he’d completed the first, Adam and partner and fellow director Erin Field say the owners had a different mindset the second time around. “For the first renovation they were in a bit of a rush and had a young family. This time they were determined to be engaged in the process. Though the property was large, they felt they’d outgrown the house, the kitchen was too small and they spent most of their time in the smallest area, a combined informal living and dining room. They also wanted it to feel lighter, brighter, less formal and more like a family home.”
The original house dated from the 1940s or ’50s and was “no masterpiece”, though it did have a charming and homely quality and was located on a large block of land in a quiet street with easy access to the city, beach and desirable urban precincts.
In the first iteration, Adam had established embellishments including dentil cornicing, coffered ceilings, dado rail and panelling and white-painted timber doors and windows, which continue to be much-loved details in the four-bedroom home.
The recent renovation was intended to create another layer, building on the existing material palette and maintaining the charm while increasing the size and proportion of the rooms, expanding openings and bringing more light and connectivity to the living spaces. With four pre-teen and teenage children and two dogs, the clients felt the need for multifunctional spaces where the family could be together and entertain friends but also provide areas for retreat or solitude.
Studio Williams rejigged the floor plan to create a logical sequence of formal living, dining and study to one side of the entry hall and informal living, dining and kitchen on the other. Spaces have been enlarged by pushing out into a former covered external living area and by “swallowing” unused rooms. In the basement, a series of small storage rooms were amalgamated into one large rumpus room that opens to a newly created sunken garden. The garage was relocated to street level and the original driveway became a private entry courtyard and staircase, while a new wing containing a scullery, pantry, coolroom, mudroom, golf simulator room, gym and sauna was built. The new work allows light and air to circulate freely.
Refining the layout has also let the architects simplify elements that proved too formal for the clients, such as heavy curtains and wallpapers. “We wanted to ensure the home was sophisticated yet understated,” says Erin. The existing, black-stained herringbone parquet flooring was sanded to an aged oak finish and throughout, colour, texture and a natural material palette of oak, marble and limestone were employed to provide warmth against a predominantly white backdrop.
While the architects aimed for continuity between the new and old spaces, they deliberately opted for shifts in the detailing and materials. “Everyone talks about consistency, but the reality is that too much of the same can become monotonous and commercial,” says Adam. “So from the formal to the informal living areas, things become simpler and more robust. The formal living and dining rooms have quite strong coffer geometry while in the kitchen and scullery the ceiling is a gloss-painted V-groove that transitions into the simpler corniced informal dining room.”
Above all, Adam and Erin wanted their clients “to love every part of the home”, so furniture shopping trips were factored in to ensure each piece could be seen and touched before purchase. And while the owners’ initial instinct was to keep the furnishings neutral, they came to appreciate Studio Williams’ suggestions for colour and contrast. “Early on they said to us, ‘Don’t be afraid to suggest anything – if it’s a good idea we’ll run with it’,” says Erin. Hence modern classics like a Knoll Saarinen ‘Tulip’ dining table, Cassina ‘Utrecht’ armchairs and Tacchini ‘Pigreco’ chairs stand alongside contemporary custom designs by Dimitri Vargas, Studio Williams and Chatsworth Fine Furniture, providing a counterpoint to the traditional detailing of the home and keeping the mood relaxed.
Artworks have added vibrancy to the spaces. Two Dale Frank works have been relocated to the formal dining room where they are seen in a new light and speak to the green hues of the custom rug and the gloss blue Cassina ‘Bramante’ cabinet in the living room. The colour palette in the informal living spaces is more subdued, but a work by Emily Ferretti ups the ante and echoes the ginkgo tree planted outside under the window.
One of the lightbulb moments in the renovation came thanks to landscaper Myles Baldwin, who was engaged for the project. Myles initially suggested relocating the pool – a serious undertaking but one that was definitely considered until the architects had a rethink about how to better utilise the basement space and connect it to the rear garden. This area, with its L-shaped sofa, pool table and bar, has now become a favourite for the family. And the pool remains in situ.
The Design Team
Studio Williams: studiowilliams.net
Myles Baldwin: mylesbaldwin.com
Bates Landscape: bateslandscape.com.au
Promena: promena.com.au
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