The complete renovation of this 119 year-old home in Sydney’s inner west was a real team effort and one interior designer Jeanette Del Zio is rightly proud of. And once the owners started researching the Federation home’s history, everyone started getting drawn into the stories of its previous inhabitants!
“The goal of our renovation was to honour the home’s history while creating a space for a modern family living. The renovation went right through from the front façade to adding in a pavilion at the back,” says Jeanette. “The brief was a calming, harmonious retreat with areas for all their family to share time and moments, or even enjoy some solitude.”
The five-bedroom, four-bathroom Haberfield home now sports a functional deck with BBQ and pizza oven with detached pavilion and studio that can be used for entertaining or even a granny flat. Owners Julie and Justin live here with their two sons, who are at university.
“It was imperative to honour and understand the history of the home and the client had completed a thorough look into the back story before beginning to plan the renovation,” Jeanette, of JDZ Designs, said.
In researching its long history, the owners uncovered the story of a strong, determined woman, Elizabeth McCourt, who, at 33, married Michael, an Irish grocer 33 years her senior. Their ‘large and fashionable wedding’ received a long write-up in the newspaper.
Elizabeth owned and ran a ham and beef shop (now a hairdresser) on Ramsay Street in Haberfield. She lodged the original building plans for the home and, after fighting planning battles, was granted approval on 12 May 1914.
“Since that time, there have been only six owners, including the very handsome Thomas; two Stellas, a mother and daughter, who lived there for over 50 years; George, who mysteriously disappeared; and three young men — Roy, Frank and Henry, who stepped over the threshold to fight in the World War 1 battles at the Somme and Ypes.”
Knowing all this history, it was very important to the clients to balance the old and new and honour traditional elements like the original cooking stove in the kitchen. “This meant the decision to keep the kitchen where it had always originally been instead of changing the entire layout,” Jeanette explains. “The hearth’s stone mantle still bears grooves from the many hands that rubbed across it while cooking dinner. They wanted to make sure they cooked their dinners in the same place Roy, Frank and Henry ‘s dinners were cooked when they all arrived home safely from war.
“With all that in mind, it was briefed that we had a seamless feel from old to new and that we were to design with elements of classical and traditional Hamptons style interiors but make it fit the original Federation style of the home. Colour was imperative to create personality and warmth and make it feel like a peaceful space for this family.”
The house’s history and stories became special to everyone working on the project. During the renovation, some floorboards were lifted in the laundry and under the dirt near the frame, a china teacup was found. “The stamp and date on the cup told us that it belonged to the McCourts. Being in the early 20th century, you would assume it was Elizabeth’s, and it now sits in the new kitchen on display.”
Before the renovation, the home was quite dark, cold and damp feeling, especially in winter. Another big problem was that it didn’t reflect how the couple and their family had grown, and it needed to be revamped to make it a fun place to live and entertain.
“We loved how intentional and considered this brief was overall,” said Jeanette, who completed renovated the main bathroom, revamped the kitchen and completely changed the back area. Architect Nicole Raven designed this new space with high ceilings and highlight windows to allow much more natural light to stream in.
“We revamped and finished the laundry, the back deck and pergola and the pavilion was a completely new build with kitchenette and functional bathroom/cinema living room space.”
Jeanette says the addition of the highlight windows at the back of the house made the biggest difference. “This was actually a last-minute addition after a walk through with builder MJP Building Projects.
“The biggest bargain was the main bathroom vanity. Julie sourced this and got our tick of approval from a design perspective with our chosen colour, and she had it restored to make it work. The biggest splurge is the Paper Musa wallpaper tile from Di Lorenzo in the pavilion bathroom. That was a big purchase and suggestion, but it just works and we’re so glad Julie and Justin loved it and we were able to make it happen.”
The clients are thrilled with the open plan and functional spaces, filled with natural light and warmth. “I love how the light hits the walls at different times of the day, and I love how big and expansive the spaces feel,” Jeanette says. “It was so important that even though the back living/dining and pavilion were open plan, that they still felt zoned and allowed for multiple uses. I think that has been achieved and we’re so proud of it all!
“A special mention must go to the building and architectural team. It was such a great project to work on together. We all shared the same vision and hope for the project so we were able to bring such an amazing transformation together.”
Suppliers:
- Di Lorenzo Tiles
- Dulux
- Parisi Tapware
- Kitchen Net Drummoyne
Photography: Danella Chalmers Photography | Styling : Jeanette Del Zio | Architect: Nicole Raven | Builder: MJP Building Projects
