When homeowner Sarah first spotted this elegant home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, it was gloomy, tired and came with a 1980s-style swimming pool that swallowed the backyard.
The dilapidated sun room at the back was so rotten that “you could put your fingers through it”, while the façade left plenty to the imagination. “The verandahs had been glassed in,” says Sarah, “so it looked monolithic and ugly, and inside it was really dark.”
While Sarah could see its potential as a home for herself and her family, her husband Neil needed some more convincing. "The thing was, it met our criteria in lots of ways,” explains Sarah. "I showed Neil how we could extend it and open it all up and drew him a picture of how it might have looked in the 1920s.” He was sold.
The home's restoration, which included opening the verandahs, knocking down the 1980s extension and building a conservatory, is elevated by Sarah's creative philosophy around décor.
“I’ve painted lots of furniture and I make lampshades and cushions," Sarah says. "Yes, if you had all the money in the world you could buy smart new pieces of furniture, but it’s actually fun being challenged to get the look you want by repurposing old things you find on Gumtree.”
The result is warm, welcoming and characterful home that's enjoyed by the entire family.
“The most important thing to us about the house is that it’s old and makes us feel very happy,"
