TRUE CHARACTER

Every corner of this expansive home has been carefully considered to suit its surroundings and enhance the lives of its owners.

- STORY Stephanie Hope | STYLING Rory James Carter | PHOTOGRAPHY Ryan Linnegar

Sunlight and fresh air flood the room as Claudia Walker flings open the doors of her home. “We entertain a lot and there is no better place to be than by the lawn or pool,” says Claudia. “Wherever you turn, you can see the gardens coming to life.”

An interior decorator and founder of Studio Moncur, Claudia shares her home in a small and tightly held corner of Sydney's Upper North Shore with her husband and two young sons. They purchased the 1080sqm block in 2022 and embarked on a 14-month build in early 2023.

"The older cottage on the property was lovely, but after consulting with builders and engineers, we realised that we needed to create a new footprint," says Claudia. "This fuelled us to build something that would do justice to the street and the iconic character homes in the area."

Anthony Maiolo and Jay Francis of architecture firm Luxitecture came on board to help achieve this vision.

"We have worked with Claudia on several of her clients' homes and were excited to be involved," says Anthony. "She prepared a comprehensive brief and shared her inspiration for the project, which allowed us to develop a design that feels truly unique to the site."

For Claudia, building her own home gave her the opportunity to tailor it to her family’s needs and push the realm of possibilities.