Period DRAMA

THE OWNERS OF THIS SYDNEY HOUSE LOVINGLY BLEND ITS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, WITH RELAXED AND STYLISH RESULTS

CHRIS PEARSON

Good things come to those who wait, as Sara and Darren, owners of this four-bedroom home on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, discovered. In 2015, months after buying it, the couple, with twin daughters Gemma and Elyssa, now 17, were posted to London with Sara’s job. But this cloud had a silver lining – during that three-year stint, Sara amassed vintage treasures now peppered throughout the home. “I spent hours scouring shops and markets in London for pieces,” she says.

When the couple bought the 1920s bungalow, they were smitten by its Art-Deco features, all intact. “That craftsmanship can’t be replicated today,” says Darren. One asset lay delectably hidden until they moved in. “We hadn’t realised the stained-glass sliding doors in the lounge room were there, as they were flush with the wall cavity and must not have been pulled out for years,” says Sara. But a 1990s French-provincial style extension had served up a warren of rooms poorly connected to the garden, while the whole house was in desperate need of a refresh. Dark walls and floorboards were gloomy and unwelcoming.

The couple approached interior designer Alanna Smit to update the two-storey home. “I was searching for someone whose style would suit the house perfectly,” says Sara. “I discovered Alanna’s plantation style and by chance she knew one of my best friends, who recommended her.”