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      Australiaโ€™s largest interior design, styling and renovation blog for the everyday Aussie. By former journalist and magazine editor Jen Bishop, the original interiors addict!
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House tour: interior designer Ioanna Lennox’s Sydney terrace

By Jen Bishop โ€ข

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We all love a house tour but I think we particularly like a look behind the front door of an interior designer’s home, don’t we?! Well, I have a treat for you today with Ioanna Lennox’s 1879 Inner West Sydney terrace.

Ioanna Lennox
Ioanna Lennox

While it’s still a work in progress (aren’t all homes, really?), Ioanna, who left her corporate job to follow her passion and work in interiors, has done plenty to transform it. The painted striped runner on the staircase was a project she had been dying to attempt and thought she’d better try it out on her home before attempting the look for clients! She is thrilled with the result and we agree it looks spectacular.

Stairs_downwards view

Being her own client was an interesting experience: โ€œThe brief kept changing but some things remained the same: it had to be classic, beautiful and elegant, without being over the top; glamorous but in a modern, contemporary way; respectful of the terraceโ€™s original features such as the high ceilings, cornices and fireplaces, but make these work in todayโ€™s living environment.

Stairs_upwards view

โ€œI started out resonating with the modern French style, then switched to Hollywood Regency, where for a while, everything that I gravitated towards was shiny, shimmery, plush or mirrored! I think the end end result will end up being a nice mix of the two. The colours changed too. Initially, it was going to be all black and white โ€“ I wanted drama, lots of contrast and typical Parisian chic. I remember doing a concept board with the โ€œclientโ€ being very happy, but six months later, it went out of the window.

“I came across my favourite Bromley nude at an art auction and I begged, begged, begged my husband for us to get it. When we found ourselves the last ones to hold up the little auction card, I almost screamed! Iโ€™ve loved and admired David Bromleyโ€™s nudes for years and to finally own one was a dream come true. When we brought ‘Chayenne’ home with her striking aqua blue palette, I fell in love with blue. So started my blue phase, which I have to say Iโ€™m still in. This meant the formal lounge and dining rooms now had to have an injection of blues.โ€

Glebe_Lounge room Fireplace_StanNgo_HR

Somewhere in all this, Ioanna had to consider her husband, although he was generally happy to leave her to it, so long as it wasnโ€™t too frou-frou or feminine. โ€œI started coming up with the original concept for the front terrace at least three years ago. Finances, Bromley purchases, leaving the corporate world and my mumโ€™s death all played a part in the snail’s pace that things have progressed at.

โ€œTo be your own client as an interior designer has be the hardest job ever โ€“ I found it frustrating, painful and creatively thwarting. As the designer, I often had days when I just wanted to kill my client! As the client, I just thought the designer was too out there at times for this regular, Inner West family of four. I feel like we got there in the end and even though we’re not yet finished, every detail is nutted out, all the fabric has been bought for the sofa and soft furnishings so nothing else is changing!โ€

Glebe_Lounge room_StanNgo

The French wall panelling, which makes such an impact, was at times a nightmare. โ€œI decided to take this on myself just after my mum died. I had my cousin here from Germany, whoโ€™s a tradesman but not a carpenter. He called my bluff and said if I was serious about panelling the front rooms, heโ€™d help me. I measured everything up and drew detailed diagrams of the panels to the millimetre, then ordered over 150 metres of timber for the chair rails and panels. Over the next week, my cousin and I worked around the clock.

“When we started putting up the chair rail, we realised there wasnโ€™t one straight wall in the house! This made it all the more entertaining as we couldnโ€™t always rely on the trusted spirit level to hang the panels. In the middle of our little project, my cousin had to return home, so that left me with a very unfinished project. Out of sheer pity or insanity, my husband eventually stepped in and helped. That put him in my awesome husband books for at least 6 months!โ€

Living room vignette_1

Ioanna selected a duck egg blue/green for the inside of the panels (Dulux Georgian Silver), which interplays with the soft grey background . โ€œIโ€™m beyond thrilled with the results, but knowing what I know now, Iโ€™m not so sure Iโ€™d take it all on again.โ€

Glebe_Dining room_StanNgo_HR

The entire front of the terrace — formal living and dining rooms, hallway and stairs โ€“ have been overhauled. The existing traditional yellow wallpaper, which had over the years become one with the render, was removed, parts of the rooms had to be re-rendered, and the cracked ceiling and ceiling roses reconditioned. Ioanna then chose a warm grey throughout and a dark charcoal above the fireplaces to turn these into a feature.

Hallway vignette_1

She kept some of the original furniture (โ€œI had our old mango wood dining table stained a dark walnut with a French polish finish. So too with the dining chairs โ€“ I had them reupholstered in a soft blue velvet with nail trim detail. This kept the budget down and it looks like a whole new dining setting anyway.โ€) Keeping the budget under control meant she could splash out on a Moooi chandelier for the dining room.

Glebe_Mirrored cabinet Vignette_StanNgo_HR

Every visitor comments on the wall panelling, which is Ioanna’s favourite element. โ€œIt gives the room such presence and grandness, pushes the 3.5-metre ceilings even higher and makes the decorating effortless. Between that and the Bromley hanging on the wall, thereโ€™s not much else the room needs โ€“ ok, maybe just a nice comfy chair to sip a cocktail in!

Glebe_Hallway_StanNgo_HR

โ€œSo, is the client content? Yes, sheโ€™s happy. But Iโ€™d probably never want to work with her again!โ€

See more of Ioanna’s interior design work on her website.ย Photography by Stan Ngo and Susan Papazian.

Want to see some before photos? We thought so…

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August 7, 2014

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When her styling business took a hit, @vaultinteri When her styling business took a hit, @vaultinteriors decided to reduce her outgoings by moving to a tiny house. And we're not sure we've ever seen a more stylish one!

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Read her refreshingly honest, positive interview on the blog now, via link in bio.

It'll make you want to downsize too!

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Appliance colour trends: They've certainly change Appliance colour trends:

They've certainly changed over the years. Remember when ALL fridges were white?! I remember the original BROWN wall oven in our 60s kitchen here pre-reno! I think the dishwasher was brown and beige (and it tripped the electrics every time we used it!) ๐Ÿ˜œ

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What colour do you like your appliances?

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SALE ALERT! Listen up Sydneysiders, one of my fav SALE ALERT!

Listen up Sydneysiders, one of my favourite home stores @shack.furniture.homewares are having their annual warehouse sale this week, from Thursday until Saturday.

HUGE savings on furniture, homewares and decor with 30 to 80% off. Wowsers!

I'm a big fan of SHACK and can never leave one of their stores without a few styling goodies for my place! It's just too tempting!

While you're at the sale, mention Interiors Addict for an extra 10% off!

Unit 16a, 1801 Botany Rd, Banksmeadow NSW 2019

Thursday 1st to Saturday 3rd June 2023, 9am to 4pm. Not online.

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A door to door continuous curved stone ledge in th A door to door continuous curved stone ledge in this bathroom is one of the cleverest designs we've seen in a while!

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Come check it out via link bio.

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Low tox and planet friendly laundry liquid (and sh Low tox and planet friendly laundry liquid (and sheets and soap and powder!). We have a great roundup of the best options on the blog today. 

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COMPARE THEM ALL VIA LINK IN BIO NOW.

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Play room goals!๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป This is just one room fr Play room goals!๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

This is just one room from today's real house tour which I really love because in employing interior designer @issyandhcreative the owners weren't looking for a complete rip out and re-do but rather to work with what they had in their new suburban home (including a dated kitchen) and give it a largely cosmetic glow up with styling and new furniture (some of which was upcycled). 

The brief was to create a family friendly home. "They weren't looking for perfection but rather a warm and relaxing retreat for their busy young family." This playroom though? Pretty close to perfect! And the mum did the colour coded books herself. Love that๐Ÿ˜

Head over to the blog now via link in bio to see the rest of this home.

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Pix by @tealily
All the heart eyes for this little setup ๐Ÿ˜ Hea All the heart eyes for this little setup ๐Ÿ˜

Head to the blog to shop this and two other gorgeous styled images from @greenhouseinteriors 

The stunning @mrsniceart artwork has already sold but the good news is, you can still get prints of it!

Styling by Aisha Chaudhry for Greenhouse Interiors, assisted by Nikki McGar, Kylie Harris, Rachael Blake and Max Green. Photography by Stephanie Rooney. 

#poolart #sideboardstyling #buffetstyling #consolestyling #vignettes #greenhouseinteriors #barcartstyling #shopthelook #bluehomedecor #poolumbrella #beachumbrella
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About Jen Bishop

Jen Bishop is our owner and publisher and an experienced journalist and editor. Interiors Addict has been her full-time job for more than 10 years. She is mum to two young boys and lives in Sydney.

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Comments

  1. AvatarEmma - My Bespoke Chair says

    August 7, 2014 at 8:12 am

    What an elegant space. Love the staircase – and I noticed you have equally elegant taste in chairs! Though my favourite piece is the mirrored, distressed-paint chest of drawers.

    • AvatarIoanna Lennox says

      August 7, 2014 at 10:44 am

      Thank you, Emma. Yes, love a good chair too! I had the seat of the Queen Anne chairs upholstered in the Kelly Wearstler black & white zig-zag Flame fabric which is one of my all time favourites. Having some cushions made in the same for the sofa too.

  2. Avatarsomethinggorgeous says

    August 7, 2014 at 12:43 pm

    How beautiful. I’m a Bromley fan too and have a small one hanging above my piano. I really love Ioanna’s style. xT

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