All Things Considered

The owner-designer’s instant, heartfelt connection with this Federation bungalow was just the beginning of a love story...

- Georgia Madden

EXTERIOR An enclosed verandah made way for the main bedroom’s ensuite and walk-in wardrobe; to the right, the bay window was extended. Other changes to the facade include a new terracotta roof, fresh paint and the driveway, which is paved with recycled bricks.

THIS IS THE LIFE

Owners Trine and Mike Gilbert renovated their home in stages so the family could live in the house during works. They even hosted Trine’s birthday here, opening up the half-built house to 35 guests. “Everyone wore hard hats, we had candles and portable heaters all around the place, and spray-painted ‘Happy Birthday’ on a wall that was due to be knocked down. It was so much fun – we won’t forget it in a hurry!” says Trine.

After searching for a new home for the best part of a year, interior designer Trine Gilbert, owner of Lot 60 Design, stumbled upon this Victorian bungalow on Sydney’s Lower North Shore purely by chance. “It was 2009 and we were living in Hong Kong at the time,” she recalls. “We’d just flown in for a holiday and I was driving from the airport with a car full of kids when I saw this house was open for viewing. The house looked quite humble from the outside, but from the minute I walked in, I knew it was a special place – it just felt like home. I could picture us creating wonderful family memories here.”