Houzz Tour: A 1950s Sydney Home Gets a Fresh Makeover
A dream came true when an interior designer finally managed to purchase and style the home she’d always admired
Interior designer Bronwyn Poole grew up on the same street as the house she would one day buy. She recalls passing the home as a young teenager and thinking how lucky the people who lived there were. When it came on the market and she felt the home’s welcoming vibe at the front door during her first visit, she says it took her breath away – she was just the ‘emotional buyer’ the estate agent had been hoping would walk through the door!
Although the 1950s home isn’t huge, it was the perfect size for a tight-knit family wanting a comfortable retreat from their busy weekday lives. It had been renovated in the 1980s, but Bronwyn soon set to work to transform the interior into a serene, beautiful space for her family and friends to enjoy. She used a blend of coastal and Scandinavian influences, with ‘a hint of midcentury, too.’
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Interior designer Bronwyn Poole, her husband, film editor Jason Ballantine, and their three children, Hugh, 4, Ashley, 1, and Darci, 3 months
Location Sydney, Australia
Size 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
This house in five words Fresh, clean, functional, comfortable, beautiful
Although the 1950s home isn’t huge, it was the perfect size for a tight-knit family wanting a comfortable retreat from their busy weekday lives. It had been renovated in the 1980s, but Bronwyn soon set to work to transform the interior into a serene, beautiful space for her family and friends to enjoy. She used a blend of coastal and Scandinavian influences, with ‘a hint of midcentury, too.’
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here Interior designer Bronwyn Poole, her husband, film editor Jason Ballantine, and their three children, Hugh, 4, Ashley, 1, and Darci, 3 months
Location Sydney, Australia
Size 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
This house in five words Fresh, clean, functional, comfortable, beautiful
As you enter the home, you are greeted by a small entry vestibule that feeds into the master bedroom, second bedroom and living area – Bronwyn’s favourite room in the house.
‘I wanted to improve the flow of the home by encouraging the large front living room to act as a thoroughfare as well as a comfy retreat that was conducive to relaxation, work or play,’ Bronwyn explains. ‘I didn’t want to fill the room with sofas or heavy pieces that would disturb this flow, but rather create a sense of space where we could admire the gorgeous treetop and district views.’
The oversized beanbag, covered in an Imperial Trellis fabric, is the focal point. ‘I wanted something that we could move and something that would encourage us to get down and play with the kids,’ Bronwyn says. ‘Having three little ones, we spend a lot of time on the floor building, constructing puzzles, wrestling and cuddling – the beanbag was the perfect choice.’
Getting the flooring right was important in helping the interiors to flow. Bronwyn chose a natural sisal flooring for all areas that were previously carpeted and polished the existing floorboards in the remaining areas.
‘I wanted to improve the flow of the home by encouraging the large front living room to act as a thoroughfare as well as a comfy retreat that was conducive to relaxation, work or play,’ Bronwyn explains. ‘I didn’t want to fill the room with sofas or heavy pieces that would disturb this flow, but rather create a sense of space where we could admire the gorgeous treetop and district views.’
The oversized beanbag, covered in an Imperial Trellis fabric, is the focal point. ‘I wanted something that we could move and something that would encourage us to get down and play with the kids,’ Bronwyn says. ‘Having three little ones, we spend a lot of time on the floor building, constructing puzzles, wrestling and cuddling – the beanbag was the perfect choice.’
Getting the flooring right was important in helping the interiors to flow. Bronwyn chose a natural sisal flooring for all areas that were previously carpeted and polished the existing floorboards in the remaining areas.
Bronwyn has always loved the orderliness, purity and simplicity of Scandinavian design and adores natural textures, so when it came to decorating her own home, the direction she would take was clear from the start.
Texture plays just as important a role as colour in the home, with each piece carefully selected to make each space flow on from the other. A colour palette of celadon greens and cool whites also helped breathe light and serenity into the house. The idea was for the living spaces to be calm oases where the family could unwind and recuperate on weekends.
Oil burner, Ikou.
Texture plays just as important a role as colour in the home, with each piece carefully selected to make each space flow on from the other. A colour palette of celadon greens and cool whites also helped breathe light and serenity into the house. The idea was for the living spaces to be calm oases where the family could unwind and recuperate on weekends.
Oil burner, Ikou.
The vintage trestle table was a special find at a Sydney antiques shop. Being worktop height, it meant little hands could not reach important paperwork or the computer keyboard, and it provided the perfect backdrop to the room from the entry vantage point. The artwork above the trestle table is by Tes Pasola, a paper artist from the Philippines.
On the opposite wall, Bronwyn designed joinery and shelving to accommodate books and a small TV behind sliding doors. The laser-cut doors were backlit to provide extra ambience at night.
‘It was such a pretty, light-filled room with lovely French doors,’ Bronwyn says. ‘My favourite memory of this room is nursing my three children in the wee hours of the night; the rocking chair in our bedroom was actually in this room and it was the perfect nursing chair.’
The addition of the Artemide Tolomeo suspension ceiling lamp gave the room that fun element of height which juxtaposed beautifully with the less traditional low beanbag.
‘It was such a pretty, light-filled room with lovely French doors,’ Bronwyn says. ‘My favourite memory of this room is nursing my three children in the wee hours of the night; the rocking chair in our bedroom was actually in this room and it was the perfect nursing chair.’
The addition of the Artemide Tolomeo suspension ceiling lamp gave the room that fun element of height which juxtaposed beautifully with the less traditional low beanbag.
The cane trunk in the lounge room is from Complete Pad, Bronwyn’s online shop, and was her ‘saving grace for storing a mountain of kids’ toys.’
Bronwyn had the custom-made timber mirrors distressed in line with the coastal vibe she was after. They helped frame the room and reflected the treetops outside. ‘They give the impression you are within the walls of a glasshouse,’ Bronwyn says.
The smallish dining area meant Bronwyn had to be cautious in her choice of furniture – the table had to be small enough to allow people to circulate around it with ease.
The combination of the timber and frosted glass worked well. ‘It’s not too sleek but minimal enough that it visually did not take up a lot of space,’ Bronwyn says. ‘The reflective surface also illuminated the room and reflected the sky, which was unintentional but a great contribution.’
In addition, the thin profile of the Arne Jacobsen leather upholstered Butterfly chairs were key to making this space work.
Explore 10 ways to maximise a small dining area
The combination of the timber and frosted glass worked well. ‘It’s not too sleek but minimal enough that it visually did not take up a lot of space,’ Bronwyn says. ‘The reflective surface also illuminated the room and reflected the sky, which was unintentional but a great contribution.’
In addition, the thin profile of the Arne Jacobsen leather upholstered Butterfly chairs were key to making this space work.
Explore 10 ways to maximise a small dining area
The other challenge was the TV room that flowed from the dining space. ‘I wanted to cheat the dimensions of this room to allow for a comfortable seating area for a family,’ Bronwyn says.
She did this by extending an armless sofa to the room’s natural end and positioning a low side table at the room’s entry to make the room feel deeper than it actually is. ‘The addition of the Bertoia Bird chair was also critical and probably the single most important element in the room,’ Bronwyn says. ‘Like the Butterfly dining chairs, the wafer thin back of the Bird chair meant I could cheat the limited proportions of the room and step outside its natural end.’
These tricks, along with the comfortable seating, gave this room the cosy, communal feel Bronwyn was hoping for.
She did this by extending an armless sofa to the room’s natural end and positioning a low side table at the room’s entry to make the room feel deeper than it actually is. ‘The addition of the Bertoia Bird chair was also critical and probably the single most important element in the room,’ Bronwyn says. ‘Like the Butterfly dining chairs, the wafer thin back of the Bird chair meant I could cheat the limited proportions of the room and step outside its natural end.’
These tricks, along with the comfortable seating, gave this room the cosy, communal feel Bronwyn was hoping for.
Bronwyn left the kitchen and bathroom largely alone, but gave the kitchen a quick makeover by replacing the handles and splashback tiles.
The white and green colour palette extends into the master bedroom. ‘The position of the bedroom off the entry and living room felt to me as though it needed to be an extension of the rest of the home,’ Bronwyn says.
Green also happens to be Bronwyn’s favourite colour. ‘It gives me a deep sense of calm, peace and reflection,’ she explains.
See 10 reasons to go green in the bedroom
Green also happens to be Bronwyn’s favourite colour. ‘It gives me a deep sense of calm, peace and reflection,’ she explains.
See 10 reasons to go green in the bedroom
The timber bedhead, a matching floor-length mirror and the side table were custom made in white bamboo.
The palest of greens plays a part in Ashley and Darci’s room, too. Bronwyn had the fairy tree painted on the wall to create a magical atmosphere, and filled the room with pretty textiles and props.
Sheepskin, Ikea.
Sheepskin, Ikea.
In four-year-old Hugh’s room, Bronwyn departed from the colour scheme in the rest of the home. ‘It was the only room that was detached enough from the intrinsic flow of the house that I felt it could legitimately do its own thing in terms of colour and style without suffocating the home,’ she says.
Bronwyn’s number one objective was to create a room where bright and unavoidable primary-coloured toys could sit comfortably and thoughtfully. ‘I wanted his room to be full of the things he loved, but I wanted it to be a well-styled room, too,’ she says. ‘The black and white frame wallpaper and grey-painted walls were my solution to this dilemma.’
Bronwyn’s number one objective was to create a room where bright and unavoidable primary-coloured toys could sit comfortably and thoughtfully. ‘I wanted his room to be full of the things he loved, but I wanted it to be a well-styled room, too,’ she says. ‘The black and white frame wallpaper and grey-painted walls were my solution to this dilemma.’
Downstairs is another bedroom and bathroom with internal access to the garage and carport. The sisal flooring and pops of green against white make a reappearance here.
The home’s interior decoration is carried through to the outdoor eating area – the perfect vantage point to look over the twinkling lights of the neighbourhood. Bronwyn designed the console table at university; it features stainless-steel mesh.
White pebbles and green trees, ferns and giant agaves link the outside with the colour palette inside.
Even the trampoline site has been given a thoughtful touch. Instead of a half-dead patch of lawn underneath, a trampoline-size circle has been strewn with mulch to keep the garden looking its best.
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TELL US…
What do you think of this Australian home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
‘We inherited the home with a rather tacky schoolyard boundary fence, so one of our first challenges was to design and construct a fence that was sympathetic to the home and would give it that modern-day feel we were seeking,’ she says.