FORMER GLORY

A COUPLE BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO A HERITAGE HOME IN SYDNEY’S EAST, CREATING AN ELEGANT FAMILY ABODE THAT HONOURS THE PAST WHILE EMBRACING THE PRESENT

- SUE WHEELER

It feels fitting that you should reach Sarah and Neil’s expansive heritage-listed home in Sydney’s east via 12 stone steps: a grand house deserves a grand entrance. And looking at its enchanting white timber verandahs and shingle facade, it’s no surprise that a step through the front door means a step back in time.

“We love old houses and weren’t frightened off by its heritage listing,” says Sarah of her home, built on a historic beachside estate. “However, I dismissed it initially because of the old pool, which took up the whole garden and seemed like a huge problem.” Other stumbling blocks included the dilapidated sunroom at the back, which was so rotten “you could put your fingers through it”, and the facade. “The verandahs had been glassed in,” explains Sarah, “so it looked monolithic and ugly, and inside it was really dark.”