GRAND DESIGN

TRADITION MEETS CONTEMPORARY STYLE WITHIN THE WALLS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL SYDNEY HOME

- SUE WHEELER

When Siobhan and her family first moved into their 1930s home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, it was obviously in need of some TLC. The Hamptons-style interior didn’t reflect the history of the property and Siobhan wanted to capture a traditional feel in a contemporary way and for it to be “fresher and brighter”. With plans to undertake a more extensive renovation sometime in the future, the family enlisted interior designer Sarah Yarrow, of Sarah Yarrow Interiors, to help them with stage one of the facelift, which included redesigning and decorating a formal living area, the main bedroom and the home’s grand entrance, along with its spectacular sweeping staircase. “My job was to create a balance between family functionality and elegance,” explains Sarah, whose contemporary take honoured the home’s heritage and added warmth and depth to the interiors. The vast lounge looked empty, even with Siobhan’s two sofas and a rug, so Sarah used wainscoting, wallpaper, rich, warm colours and select pieces of furniture to create a friendly, inviting room with a cool ‘bar nook’. “It was a big space for a formal lounge,” she explains, “so I made it feel cosier than the footprint suggested.” In doing so, the room now feels spacious yet intimate.