The first step in any interiors project is (usually) an on-site consultation between clients and designers to get a feel for the location. But in the case of this California bungalow in the Sydney suburb of Concord, Leah and Fliss Pitman of Bone Made arrived at the address for the first time to see the house in the midst of demolition.
‘We were engaged by the client at quite a unique time, so we essentially worked in a backwards order,’ the pair explain. With renovations to the back of the property already underway with the assistance of a draftsman, Leah and Fliss were enlisted on a tight timeline to formulate an interior layout for the new extension, which included a rumpus room, kitchen, two separate living rooms, bathroom and master ensuite.
In order to align with the requirements for a young family of six (and adhere to heritage overlay mandates), the front of the house retained its original heritage bones, while the extension was transformed with contemporary flair. The challenge was to keep the interiors cohesive between these two distinct zones.
Installing herringbone oak floorboards was the first step to maintaining continuity throughout the house. The ornate heritage ceilings were kept intact through the front bedrooms, and Leah and Fliss paid homage to these classic details, by incorporating aged brass detailing into the new materials palette, alongside natural stone and textural rattan.
Moving through the house to the rear, the discrete layout of the original bungalow opens up to a generous contemporary open-plan space, housed below a pitched ceiling. Here, Fliss and Leah were given a fresh slate to design upon from the ground up. Clean, crisp finishes are complemented by custom oak joinery line the boundary wall. Classic French doors open to the external entertaining area, allowing light to flood in from the garden!
With its refined materials palette, and careful balance of modern details and heritage details, this house achieves the perfect marriage of classic and contemporary Australian style.
See more interior projects by Bone Made here.