PRESENT SENSE

AFTER AN ELEGANT REFRESH, THIS HERITAGE-LISTED HOME PROVIDES AN IDYLLIC LIFESTYLE NOW AND FLEXIBILITY FOR THE FUTURE

-  SARAH WORMWELL

The original Federation features of this home on Sydney’s Lower North Shore offered cues for its stunningly refreshed interiors – but they weren’t the main attraction in the first instance. Years of admiring its secluded location and picturesque harbour views meant the owner, a retired gentleman with an adult daughter, knew its potential when he spotted it for sale online. He purchased the property three days later, enamoured with the lifestyle inherent in the location and the opportunity to create a multi-generational home.

The owner engaged architect Ian Poole to reconfigure the three-storey home’s layout, introducing kitchenettes and bathrooms to both the lower ground and first floors so that each of the levels could be self-contained. For the interiors, the owner’s daughter recommended Leanne Smeallie of Ampersand Interiors, having been impressed by her previous work.

The brief was simple. “Dad left creative licence to Leanne and me,” shares the owner’s daughter. “He didn’t want a glitzy showcase, rather, quality finishes and a mix of spaces; some to encourage being together and others for quiet relaxation.”