HOMES: renovating a

A family who relocated from London to Sydney found a special home in this Federation beauty, writes John McDonald . That said, it wasn’t so beautiful at first…

moves All the right

PHOTOGRAPHY by MAREE HOMER STYLING by KAYLA GEX

Moving a household from one side of the Earth to the other is challenging, but perseverance and a little good luck will see things through. Such was the case for Andrea Stark and her family, who had been living in London for 15 years until a move to Sydney cropped up in 2013. They had packed up all their furniture, sent it to storage in their new home city and moved into a serviced apartment while they searched for a place to buy. Four months elapsed before Andrea and her husband, both originally from New Zealand –plus their two children Olivia, now 15, and Luke, 13 –found this 380m 2 Federation property a stone’s throw from a harbour beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. “From the moment we set foot inside, we knew we wanted to make it home,” says Andrea. The interior of the circa-1910 house was very dated, with a palette that → HOME DESIGN TIP “We invested in good soundproofing with aluminum-framed acoustic-glass doors in the living room and kitchen, and we added double glazing to the bedroom windows,” says Andrea. “No matter wh at’s going on outside, this house is tranquil, cosy and calm on the inside.”

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The original ornate ceiling was retained in the dining room, while the table was handmade by a woodworker in Kent, England.

The kitchen was designed in a classic “plain English” style that Andrea favoured from her time living in London. “The central island is a great gathering spot,” she says.

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included creamy yellow walls, blue floor tiles and lots of chintz and clashing patterns. But, says Andrea, “it had all the features we were looking for: high and detailed original ceilings, tall French doors, beautiful cornices and generously-sized rooms. If felt really unique, different to anything we’d viewed.” However, it was in need of a renovation. Andrea approached Tania Handelsmann and Gillian Khaw of Sydney architecture and interiors firm Handelsmann + Khaw. “I’d read about Tania and the beautiful work she’d done in New York on a style blog, and was thrilled that she’d recently returned to Sydney and was launching a new business here. We loved all the concepts Tania and Gillian presented to us.” In conjunction with Alvaro Bros builders, stage one of the project took just under a year, including the design component. “The main architectural gesture was to create one large double-height entry foyer out of two small existing rooms, with a new staircase and custom Jacobean-style panels to convey a sense of grandeur,” says Tania. “Bathrooms were renovated in a classic style, with grey tonal materials and more wall panelling in place of tiles to give the spaces warmth and character. “Initially we weren’t going to do that, as bespoke bathrooms are costly, but [we] decided it was worth the expense,” she adds. “We converted one of the external verandahs into an ensuite for Olivia, too.” The family moved in before the kitchen, dining area and laundry were renovated. “The original kitchen was tiny and tucked into one end of the space that forms the bigger kitchen today,” says Andrea. They waited two years to →

“I wanted a peaceful bedroom with warm greys, whites and snuggly soft linens,” the owner tells us.

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HOME DESIGN

TIP “Do you r research when it comes to things like hardware and joinery,” advises Andrea. “T here can be massive differences in pricing.”

“Bathrooms were renovated in a classic style, with grey tonal materials and more wall panelling to give the spaces warmth and character,” says Andrea.

remodel the kitchen –much longer than planned –but this had its advantages. “Living with the existing kitchen meant we had a much better idea of where best to position new windows, new doors, joinery and utilities,” says Andrea. The second stage of the project was completed in 2017, and the end result is splendid. Enter and you find yourself in the airy and inviting foyer. Walk around a table filled with treasures gathered during the family’s travels and you head straight into the kitchen and dining area, with floorto-ceiling sliding doors that lead out to the patio and pool. The kitchen is painted in a bespoke grey that Andrea concocted after numerous visits to her paint supplier. To the left of the foyer is a library, powder room and the laundry; to the right is a formal lounge. And behind the dining room lies the family room. Up the new staircase are four bedrooms; the main bedroom has an ensuite and also a walk-in wardrobe. There is also an office where Andrea, a graphic designer, can work. The terrace’s solid double-brick construction helps regulate the temperature year-round, says Andrea. There is an air-conditioning/heating system and fans in the bedrooms, which keep things cool in summer. It’s a beachy and breezy home, quite different from their house in London, but holding the same precious memories and memorabilia. AWW