Fresh Air
Belle Magazine Australia|May 2018

The owner’s former childhood home has been reinvented for her own family in an easy style that marries Spanish Mission and Hollywood Regency without missing a beat.

Chris Pearson
Fresh Air

The home of cookbook author Stephanie Conley, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, has turned a fresh page. This was once her childhood home, but now, thanks to a smart renovation by architect Luigi Rosselli and Stephanie’s deft decorating, it has effected its own generational shift.

When her father passed away about 11 years ago, Stephanie and her sister were unsure what to do with the Arts and Crafts-style house. It wasn’t until her first son was born that she considered its potential as a family home. But the five-bedroom house was hamstrung by its past, squandering its prime position over Sydney Harbour. Large windows, added in a 70s renovation, embraced the view but didn’t connect with the garden, and the main entry was via narrow steps down the side, “like the tradesman’s entrance, not dignified”, says Luigi.

“I wanted to keep the house intact, as it was the place I grew up in, yet make it new and contemporary, more suited to family living,” says Stephanie, who hired Luigi on a friend’s recommendation. “He came up with amazing plans to give the house a new face without destroying it.”

Keeping the Federation facade, Luigi demolished clumsy add-ons on the harbour side, reducing the home to its original shell. “It was an exercise in addition and subtraction,” he says. Along that facade, he installed steel balustrades and banks of steel-framed windows, a Luigi hallmark evoking his roots in industrial Milan. Many front onto a vast new terrace which he added along that side of the house.

This story is from the May 2018 edition of Belle Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the May 2018 edition of Belle Magazine Australia.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BELLE MAGAZINE AUSTRALIAView All
The wow factory
Belle Magazine Australia

The wow factory

The sisters steering Zuster furniture brand put a creative spin on their own industrial zone.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
OPEN INVITE
Belle Magazine Australia

OPEN INVITE

This handsome home in the NSW Southern Highlands welcomes within its walls both generous rural views and a steady flow of guests.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
DUAL ACCENTS
Belle Magazine Australia

DUAL ACCENTS

American heritage style meets Spanish mission design in this harbourside Sydney home.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
Grand vision
Belle Magazine Australia

Grand vision

It can be easy being green or it is for this house -that cleverly combines lavish spaces and timeless style, while also being kind to the planet.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
POWER AND GLORY
Belle Magazine Australia

POWER AND GLORY

An angular concrete structure packs a punch in a new build on an elevated site in Sydney while its interior design offers a softly layered and textured counterpoint.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
COLOUR BURST
Belle Magazine Australia

COLOUR BURST

A joyful exuberance permeates this heritage home reinvented by interior designer Andrew Parr with zesty hues, lively contemporary art and iconic furniture.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
LA VIE EN ROSE
Belle Magazine Australia

LA VIE EN ROSE

Poised above Pittwater in Sydney's north, this weekender is alluringly relaxed - and offers holiday fun for family and friends.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
COOL, CALM COLLECTIVE
Belle Magazine Australia

COOL, CALM COLLECTIVE

An ever-changing array of covetable antiques, objets d'art and unique pieces ensure the interiors of this beautiful store has a collected feel and sense of permanence.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
BOLD CHOICE
Belle Magazine Australia

BOLD CHOICE

Architect and trailblazer Piero Gesualdi's Melbourne emporium, Mondopiero, is a celebration of timeless design and craftmanship, with a sprinkling of decorative flair.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2023/January 2024
HIGHER CALLING
Belle Magazine Australia

HIGHER CALLING

In a world that is typically more about me, me, me, quietly luxurious day spa Venustus keeps thriving three decades on with a true commitment to inspired client service.

time-read
1 min  |
December 2023/January 2024