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What started as a quick decorating job grew into a full-scale overhaul that saw this Sydney home embrace the potential of its lovely location.

- Sarah Pickette

Some renovations start out small and then rapidly grow exponentially in scope – and that was the case with this home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Interior designer Natasha Levak was initially brought in by the homeowners to help select furnishings for the family room. Simple, she thought. But then they happened to mention that the position of their kitchen bothered them, because it was tucked away at the side of the house. It didn’t really make the most of the incredible views to Pittwater – in fact, quite a lot of the house was not reaching its potential, Natasha soon realised.

So what began as a straightforward fitout that would have taken Natasha a couple of weeks to complete turned into a comprehensive remodelling of the interior and exterior that would be carried out over a few years. “The house was built in the 1990s, in a mock Federation style,” she says. “Structurally, it was in great condition, so I was able to focus on reworking the layout and lifting the material finishes inside and out. Its look was updated without the owners needing to alter the building envelope.”