SOUND & VISION

After two decades of busy daily living in their Federation home, a creative family gets a new lease on life, thanks to an artful renovation

- Judy Pascoe

This newly renovated Federation home in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs is alive with art and music.

For one of the owners, the joy of having multiple spaces where she can draw and paint is immeasurable. Pencils, papers and various craft materials are carried in a tray to be positioned in different rooms, perhaps where the light is best at the time or where she feels most inspired. And her husband has found equal joy in a media room where his guitar riffs fill the air, and music in all its glory can be fully appreciated.

It would be fair to say that the couple, their two grown children and Albus, the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, are revelling in the beauty and facility of their home, which has been reimagined by Ruth Levine, Lisa Falvo and Debbie Freedberg of interior design studio Levine Vokaberg. It has been a long process, starting before the Covid pandemic hit and continuing in fits and starts until the home stretch was reached this year.

The family had come to the parkside property in 2003 when the children were aged two and four, and for years they had lived comfortably enough with its idiosyncrasies and limitations. However, in 2019 they approached Ruth, who was a friend, with a brief to enlarge the dining area, 'fix' the under-stair bathroom and laundry, and create more storage. They also requested a secondary entertaining area to facilitate gatherings for their teenagers and friends.