Modern MASTERY

Colonial US style meets Mid-Century refinement at this Sydney home. Plus, it beautifully caters for every occasion – from a quiet night in to a party for plenty.

- Elizabeth Wilson 

Building a new home requires a special type of alchemy. A crucial ingredient is trust, and all successful projects rely on a mutual understanding between the homeowners, architects, interior designers and trades. Recognising this, the savvy owners of this Sydney property recruited a group of trusted collaborators to help them achieve their dream home.

With only one of their grown-up children still living under their roof, they wanted a new home with a manageable footprint and less garden. But as people who love to entertain, they still needed enough room to accommodate a steady flow of friends and family. Their aim was to achieve a design that was spacious, refined and understated.

The couple was well acquainted with the architects, Molnar Freeman, having collaborated with the firm on a range of commercial enterprises. They also loved the work of interior designer Cameron Kimber, who devised a scheme for their previous home. So when it came to creating a look and feel for their new home, they could think of no better solution than to bring these parties together.

The designers were enlisted simultaneously to ensure both the exterior and interior schemes could be shaped cohesively. This proved a fateful decision. Originally, the plan was for a rendered-brick house, but Cameron suggested a weatherboard treatment instead, taking inspiration from colonial US architecture. “A weatherboard house – if it’s a large home – feels lighter on the block. It looks really smart and, in this case, it was a departure from every other house in the neighbourhood,” says Cameron. “Some of the great houses in the US, Sweden and the UK are weatherboard.”