Free spirit

Interior designer Sibella Court has turned to the calm and sanctuary of life by the sea in her characterful home south of Sydney.

- Chris Pearson

BREAKOUT SPACE This ‘Franklin’ wallpaper in Riverkeeper, designed by homeowner Sibella Court and available at Sparkk, makes an impression at the top of the stairs beside daughter Silver’s room. Jute wall light, The Society Inc. Daybed bought in New York. Cushions in Sequana Donegal Big Herringbone Tweed wool, Tigger Hall Design, and other assorted materials. OUT & ABOUT Sibella and daughter Silver on their daily jaunt to the beach.

KITCHEN Sibella retained all the existing kitchen joinery but gave it a fresh look with Collar Rack drawer pulls and Palmer shelves, both from The Society Inc. Rainbow black walnut armchair, Sawkille Co. Shipwright rope lamp, The Society Inc. Papier-mâché walrus trophy, a special find. Opposite below Custom-made Parisian-style counter stools. Paradise artwork by Paul McNeil. DINING “This rustic table has had many lives,” says Sibella. Lineage candleholders, The Society Inc. Vintage tableware collected over many years.

For interior designer and author Sibella Court, this was a sea- and tree-change with a difference. In 2019, she swapped living in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs for a life among the eucalypts in Bundeena, on the city’s southern outskirts, with golden beaches and rock pools a short stroll away. She was eager to relive a romantic past inspired by two muses: her grandmother, who once lived on the NSW Mid North Coast, and a TV program that shaped her childhood. She can now relive the magic of those wild-eyed moments with her daughter Silver, six.