GRAND plan

One thing led to another and a quick refresh became a three-storey renovation, all while honouring the original features of the home.

- Judy Pascoe

It often happens that a quick refresh turns into a full-blown makeover. As Louise Spicer, creative director of Onefour Interiors, puts it, “The knock-on effect of changing one area makes you evaluate others, and a renovation needs to exist cohesively and harmoniously within a home's existing bones.”

Called in to update the kitchen and bathrooms of this Queen Anne-style Federation home on Sydney's Lower North Shore, Louise's scope of work eventually grew to encompass the design and decoration of the entire three storeys.

The owners had lived in the home for a while before deciding to make any changes. “They wanted to gain an understanding of how the home worked for them,” says Louise. “And with such a special property they wanted to be sure they remained respectful of the era.”

Grandly proportioned formal rooms, sweeping verandahs, decorative detailing, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, and an extensive block of land lent the house a certain gravitas and the owners felt “nervous” about making a start on a refit.

“One thing that was often repeated was that the home had to have integrity, so anything new needed to have a lived-in patina,” says Louise.