Interiors: Studio George | Photography: Dave Wheeler | Styling: Jack Milenkovic
“Like chalk and cheese,” says interior designer Sara Horvath of the before and after of this home on Sydney’s Lower North Shore she renovated for a couple and their two kids. Sara, the founder and director of Studio George, recalls the ‘before’ home as being “super clinical with a warehouse vibe” and finished in polished concrete and exposed iron columns. It was everything the owners didn’t want, but the neighbourhood was simply unbeatable. “It was all about location, location, location,” she says.
After purchasing the house, the owners rented it out while they lived in Singapore for about five years, but as soon as they returned to Australia it was all systems go. “We were working on the house plans before they had even unpacked,” says Sara. While the family loved living abroad, they felt a strong pull to the “Aussie lifestyle” and climate, which ultimately drew them back home.
The house had an old extension that was awkwardly attached to the original, so at the top of their wish list was a better connection between the two. “There was a lot of house but it didn’t flow well and there were areas we wouldn’t use,” says one of the owners.
“We’ve really maximised the space and we wanted a beautiful entertaining area.”
THE OWNER
Sara worked alongside architect Tim West to make some significant changes such as squaring off the dog-legged entrance. “It was all a bit hard to read. It was unclear whether to go left or right,” she says. By opening up the entry “we created a direct path and line of sight.”
To achieve smoother transitions to the rear living area while moving through the house, they also shuffled the position of the staircase.
Spread over four levels, the house opens into a generous entry hall where there’s a green console from Grazia&Co. A media room — adored by the kids — serves as a secondary living room for guests and an intimate secondary study off to the side is accessible by a glass sliding door that imbues the space with natural sunlight. At the rear of the floor there are two side-by-side bedrooms divided by a shared bathroom that sit on a split-level, tiered bridge.
A stringer staircase leads to the lower ground floor where there’s a shared central living zone and kitchen with a double-height void above. “It mimics the shape of the island and is very intentionally dramatic,” says Sara. “It was previously dead space and now feels open and natural, like you can touch the sky.”
The inside flooring and alfresco entertaining have been lined in matching tiles, which makes the dining area seem larger than it actually is.
“Extending the tiles to the outdoors makes the dining feel like it’s four times the size,” says Sara of the carefully thought-out design trickery.
The top floor is dedicated to the parents suite, complete with a spa-like bathroom and wardrobe carved out of what was originally the roof space. A new window looks out to the beach and surrounding bushland, creating a visual connection to nature.
“The couple have kids who are 13 and 10, so they don’t need their parents 24/7. We gave them their own floor and made a true adults retreat that’s peaceful and private.”
Sara used a tight selection of materials with a focus on timber and marble in neutral tones.
The owners referenced the “beautiful tones of travertine” they came across in Singapore, which Sara interpreted and extrapolated in the form of limestone, adopting a serene, creamy palette that would serve as a backdrop to the “organised chaos” of everyday life.
“Sara brought everything together beautifully and cohesively, which helped us get the most out of the house. We’ve really maximised the space and we wanted a beautiful entertaining area — which is exactly what we got!”
“We love living so close to the beach where we can just stroll down the hill and not have to worry about parking,” says the owner. “Despite being in such a busy area, the back garden is a private oasis. The seamless indoor-outdoor area makes it so easy to entertain, which is what we wanted. Our goal
THIS IS THE LIFE
was for a kind of modern Mediterranean beachside feel, and Sara really helped bring that to life.”
Studio George: studio-george.com.
THW Architects: thw.net.au.
Red Cedar Constructions: redcedarconstructions.com.
The Design Team
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