Project Of The Week
Interior Design
A Grand Federation Home Comes of Age for a Busy Young Family
See how a revamped layout, custom joinery and luxe touches transformed a dated heritage home in Sydney
In this Q&A series, we turn the spotlight on one thought-provoking renovation, redesign or new build each week. Here, Danielle Bonello-Dunsford, founder and principal designer at Danielle Victoria Design Studio, shares how she brought light, flow and functionality to a dated Federation home for a family of five.
What was this house like originally?
It was a three-level Federation house last renovated around the 1990s.
What wasn’t working for the client?
The family had lived here for about five years and there were several improvements they wanted to make.
These included changing the layout of the kitchen, adding more storage and creating a better flow between the kitchen and butler’s pantry. They also wanted to update the bathrooms and enhance the connection between the interior of the house and the backyard and pool area.
It was a three-level Federation house last renovated around the 1990s.
What wasn’t working for the client?
The family had lived here for about five years and there were several improvements they wanted to make.
These included changing the layout of the kitchen, adding more storage and creating a better flow between the kitchen and butler’s pantry. They also wanted to update the bathrooms and enhance the connection between the interior of the house and the backyard and pool area.
Code Zero wall sconce: Nightworks Studio.
What were their must-haves?
What were their must-haves?
- Improve the layout of the kitchen.
- Add more kitchen storage.
- Update the laundry to include a butler’s pantry, easily accessible from the kitchen.
- Top-of-the-range kitchen appliances.
- A wine fridge.
What was your brief?
What was your scope of work?
- A full renovation of the kitchen, butler’s pantry/laundry, living area and the main ensuite.
- A partial renovation of one bedroom, a secondary ensuite and the main family bathroom.
- New windows and doors.
- The client wanted a fresh but warm style, with a classic-contemporary feel in keeping with the style of this house.
What was your scope of work?
- Dining and living areas.
- Kitchen and bar servery.
- Butler’s pantry/laundry.
- Main ensuite, family bathroom and a secondary ensuite.
- Internal colours.
- External colours.
What did you do?
- Redesigned the kitchen, butler’s pantry/laundry and main bathroom.
- Moved one wall in the kitchen to create more space for the butler’s pantry/laundry.
- Added a new window in one bedroom.
- Installed large custom sliding doors and windows in the kitchen and living areas.
- Designed custom joinery for the kitchen, butler’s pantry/laundry and bathrooms.
- Specified new paint colours, flooring, hardware, tapware, benchtops and lighting.
- Specified new furniture.
Handmade Metro splashback tiles: Surface Gallery; Dolomite benchtop and apron: Styled in Stone; joinery in Lyttelton Half: Dulux; walls painted in Natural White: Dulux; architraves, doors and skirting boards painted in Vivid White: Dulux.
What was the kitchen like originally?
It was an impractical shape, with outdated colours and finishes, insufficient storage and poor flow to the butler’s pantry/laundry.
What was your brief for new kitchen?
A highly functional kitchen layout that worked with the rest of the open-plan room. The client wanted a design that wouldn’t date and was in keeping with the style of the house.
What was the kitchen like originally?
It was an impractical shape, with outdated colours and finishes, insufficient storage and poor flow to the butler’s pantry/laundry.
What was your brief for new kitchen?
A highly functional kitchen layout that worked with the rest of the open-plan room. The client wanted a design that wouldn’t date and was in keeping with the style of the house.
What did you do?
Soft greys and greens, a stunning marble with interesting veining, sleek joinery details and handmade tiles.
- Designed full custom joinery with a modern slim-Shaker profile.
- Sanded and stained the flooring.
- Specified new appliances, hardware and finishes.
- We blocked up one window on the back wall of the kitchen, which gave us a lot more wall cabinet storage and let us centralise the stovetop and oven on the back wall, creating symmetry to the room.
- We increased the size of the remaining window in a design that allows a lot more conversation between the kitchen and verandah or swimming pool area at the rear of the house.
Soft greys and greens, a stunning marble with interesting veining, sleek joinery details and handmade tiles.
Joinery in Sepal: Dulux.
We designed a bespoke bar servery with a hidden wine fridge that is readily accessible from the living space and outside areas, along with large, custom sliding external doors that open the kitchen and living space onto the rear verandah and pool area.
The servery joinery is finished in a soft blue with brass framing and reeded-glass cabinetry above it.
We designed a bespoke bar servery with a hidden wine fridge that is readily accessible from the living space and outside areas, along with large, custom sliding external doors that open the kitchen and living space onto the rear verandah and pool area.
The servery joinery is finished in a soft blue with brass framing and reeded-glass cabinetry above it.
Wine cabinet: Sub-Zero; joinery in Wistow: Dulux; Metro wall tiles in Bianco: Surface Gallery; Portofino Quartz: Project Stone.
Tell us about the butler’s pantry/laundry
This room was originally much smaller and just used as a laundry. It was not directly accessible from the kitchen.
The client wanted to integrate a butler’s pantry into the space and make the room highly functional, while having it accessible from the kitchen.
Tell us about the butler’s pantry/laundry
This room was originally much smaller and just used as a laundry. It was not directly accessible from the kitchen.
The client wanted to integrate a butler’s pantry into the space and make the room highly functional, while having it accessible from the kitchen.
They wanted the style to flow seamlessly from the kitchen with beautiful, tactile finishes, such as honed stone benchtops and hardware full of character.
The room originally had an extra door leading into a downstairs bedroom, which we removed to achieve a full wall of custom joinery and to accommodate the grand wine cabinet.
The room originally had an extra door leading into a downstairs bedroom, which we removed to achieve a full wall of custom joinery and to accommodate the grand wine cabinet.
Walls painted in Natural White: Dulux; ceilings, trims and doors painted in Natural White Half: Dulux.
What was your brief for the hallway?
To design a new arched doorway to the living area, and specify new wall, trim and ceiling colours.
What was your brief for the hallway?
To design a new arched doorway to the living area, and specify new wall, trim and ceiling colours.
What did you do?
We designed a new door between the entry hallway and the living area, with a traditional arched design and plenty of glazing to allow light to flow through the house from front to back. We also specified new bespoke door hardware throughout.
We designed a new door between the entry hallway and the living area, with a traditional arched design and plenty of glazing to allow light to flow through the house from front to back. We also specified new bespoke door hardware throughout.
Walls and joinery in Natural White: Dulux; ceiling painted in Natural White Half: Dulux; Compact Wall Light 02: Snelling Studio; fireplace mantel in Carrara marble.
What was your brief for the living area?
New joinery, paint and lighting specification, and a new skylight design to replace the existing stained-glass skylight.
What was it like originally?
It had the same layout, but with outdated joinery and colours.
What did you do?
What was your brief for the living area?
New joinery, paint and lighting specification, and a new skylight design to replace the existing stained-glass skylight.
What was it like originally?
It had the same layout, but with outdated joinery and colours.
What did you do?
- Designed custom joinery for the alcoves on either side of the fireplace, with V-groove board backing.
- Specified new paint colours, lighting and hardware.
- Designed a new oval-shaped skylight to replace the outdated previous skylight and bring in more light.
Quartzite Emerald Haze vanity top: Styled in Stone; Metro splashback tiles in Snow: Surface Gallery; Baltic White marble floor and shower tiles: Surface Gallery; Starck 3 undercounter basins: Duravit; tapware: Brodware.
What was your brief for the main ensuite?
The layout of this ensuite was fine, but the client wanted it to be lighter and brighter, with a double vanity, more storage, integrated laundry hampers and a bigger shower.
What was your brief for the main ensuite?
The layout of this ensuite was fine, but the client wanted it to be lighter and brighter, with a double vanity, more storage, integrated laundry hampers and a bigger shower.
What did you do?
We transformed the outdated ensuite into a luxurious main bathroom with new joinery and custom-finish tapware.
We transformed the outdated ensuite into a luxurious main bathroom with new joinery and custom-finish tapware.
What are the main elements in the new palette?
Brass and aged-brass hardware, a custom brass-framed mirror, green quartzite benchtops, custom joinery in soft grey, and handmade white tiles.
Brass and aged-brass hardware, a custom brass-framed mirror, green quartzite benchtops, custom joinery in soft grey, and handmade white tiles.
HDF joinery in a two-pack polyurethane satin finish in Deiskau: Dulux; Carrara marble splashback and benchtop: Styled in Stone; tapware: Brodware; Linear Solo heated towel rail: Brodware.
What was your brief for the secondary bedroom’s ensuite?
Our client wanted to retain the existing emerald tiles and work around them. The layout was fine, but the vanity and tapware needed replacing and the paint colours were outdated. We wanted this bathroom to feel classic but fresh.
What are the main elements in the new palette?
Emerald-green tiles, Carrara marble, a soft grey vanity finish, and brass and aged-brass hardware and tapware.
What was your brief for the secondary bedroom’s ensuite?
Our client wanted to retain the existing emerald tiles and work around them. The layout was fine, but the vanity and tapware needed replacing and the paint colours were outdated. We wanted this bathroom to feel classic but fresh.
What are the main elements in the new palette?
Emerald-green tiles, Carrara marble, a soft grey vanity finish, and brass and aged-brass hardware and tapware.
What did you do?
- Added wall panelling and trims on the walls to introduce a classic feel.
- Installed vertical heated towel rails.
- Replaced the showerhead and all the tapware.
- Specified new lighting.
- Specified light paint colours to soften the emerald-green tiles.
- Designed a custom vanity with a Carrara marble vanity top and a curved splashback with intricate detailing, including curves and a rebate in the marble.
HDF joinery in a two-pack polyurethane satin finish in Deiskau: Dulux; Carrara marble splashback and benchtop: Styled in Stone; tapware: Brodware; Linear Solo heated towel rail: Brodware.
What was your brief for the main family bathroom?
Like the secondary ensuite, the client wanted to keep the original emerald-green tiles and introduce more detailing here.
What did you do?
What was your brief for the main family bathroom?
Like the secondary ensuite, the client wanted to keep the original emerald-green tiles and introduce more detailing here.
What did you do?
- Added wall panelling in keeping with the period of the home.
- Designed a custom vanity with a marble vanity top and splashback featuring intricate detailing.
- Installed a heated towel rail.
- Replaced the tapware.
- Added new lighting.
- Specified lighter paint colours to soften the rich emerald-green tiles.
Your turn
What is your favourite feature in this elegant home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images for your own renovation inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Like to see another heritage-home makeover? Don’t miss Sydney Houzz: From Empty Shell to a Luxe, Layered Delight
What is your favourite feature in this elegant home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save these images for your own renovation inspiration, like this story and join the conversation.
More
Like to see another heritage-home makeover? Don’t miss Sydney Houzz: From Empty Shell to a Luxe, Layered Delight
Who lives here: A family with three boys and two dogs
Location: Mosman, NSW
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms: Five bedrooms, three bathrooms
Approximage size of house: 1,072 square metres
Interior design: Danielle Bonello-Dunsford at Danielle Victoria Design Studio
How did you use Houzz Pro for this project?
We used it for many aspects, including proposals, concept design, mood boards and invoicing.