SAVING GRACE

Keen to care for the planet, a savvy designer revamped a harbourside home destined for demo with a light touch - no bulldozers required

-  JESSICA BELLEF

A home built on a wishlist is an exciting proposition, and taking the knock down and rebuild path is often bolstered by talk of getting precisely what you want. However, when an architect suggested bulldozing this harbourside property and starting again, the owner was a little miffed.

"I thought it was such a waste to knock down a double-brick home," says the doctor and mother of three boys, adding that her parents had raised her with an ethos of recycling and reuse.

She and her husband had bought the home in 2015, drawn to its solid build and the fact that ocean breezes could be felt out on the back patio. The exact age of the property is unknown, but tell-tale signs of 1990s renovations existed: swirly iron work, dark cherry-timber details and drab cream walls. Dated elements aside, glimmers of charm shone through, and the property's footprint was a Cinderella fit for the couple and their three sons, who are aged 13 to 22.

Rejecting any thoughts of calling in the bulldozers, the busy professionals reached out to interior designer Josie Simpson, whose skilful work she'd admired at a friend's house. The designer was equally horrified at the thought of flattening the two-storey dwelling.