When the Demos' purchased their Federation home in leafy Drummoyne, it was need of a lot of love. Once the DA come through, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work with a designer and builder to build their dream home.
Read on to hear the inspiration for Sharon's contemporary Federation home and how the couple went about successfully blending new style with original, period features.
What drew you to purchasing the Federation house?
The main attraction was location. We love Drummoyne and the street itself.
We were also looking for a Federation house that had great bones, a decent size block of land (for the area) and the potential for a great renovation.
Talk us through the renovation. What did the house look like before you renovated? What were the key changes made?
The existing house was liveable but in need of a lot of work, so we decided to totally gut it.
We reconfigured rooms to create more space and light. We then extended the existing house out the back with an open plan kitchen/dining/living space. This room has a raked ceiling, large windows and plenty of light.
We also added a large terrace & outdoor kitchen. The backyard and gardens were designed around a small plunge pool. We enjoy cooking and entertaining so the space needed to cater for that.
In relation to design/colour schemes etc – I had a picture from a magazine of a hallway that I loved and wanted to create – the rest of the house developed from there.
Were there any period features that you wanted to honour? How did you do this?
To be honest, the existing federation features were in very poor condition and most did need replacing (all bar the hallway decorative ceiling & bedroom fireplace).
However, it was important that when we replaced various features that they were in line with the federation era - high skirting, timber windows and decorative ceilings as examples.
The existing hallway ceiling was beautiful and in good condition. It just needed a little patch work and a good paint job.
Describe the changes made to give the place a more contemporary feel
A palette of soft greys, white trimmings and dark timber flooring
The addition of a large open plan living space, with high ceilings, large windows creating plenty of light
Black tap fittings
Modern & elegant “statement” light fittings
Why did you use tessellated tiles on the entrance?
A Federation home would be unfinished without a tessellated tiled entrance. In our opinion, it looks elegant and spectacular - a result of a carefully chosen pattern and an experienced team at Olde English Tiles.
Any advice for refurbishing a period home?
Definitely involve a good architect that is familiar with period homes, a great builder and an interior designer. All three worked extremely well together and were able to ensure the flow from Federation to contemporary was beautifully achieved.