• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Interiors Addict

Heart Your Home

@interiorsaddict on Instagram   @interiorsaddict on Facebook   @interiorsaddict on Pinterest  
Subscribe
  • Job Board
  • About
  • Before & Afters
  • RENO ADDICT
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Kids Rooms
  • Bedrooms
  • Living Room
  • Shopping
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipes
  • Parenting
  • Travel
Interiors Addict
  • Job Board
  • About
    • Our Story

      Australia’s largest interior design, styling and renovation blog for the everyday Aussie. By former journalist and magazine editor Jen Bishop, the original interiors addict!
      READ MORE

      We’re big on Instagram!
      @interiorsaddict

      • About
      • Contact Interiors Addict
      • Work with Interiors Addict
      • Advertise / Find a job in Interiors
      • Press
    • Get Your Free Ebook

      This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
    • bookcover-jens-reno
  • By Room
    • Browse by Room

      Where you can search for all our posts about a specific room. Only interested in kitchens and bathrooms? We got you!

      • Kitchens
      • Bathrooms
      • Kids Rooms
      • Bedrooms
      • Living Room
      • Home Office
      • Dining
      • Laundry
      • Outdoor & Exteriors
      • Renting
    • bookcover-jens-reno
  • Before & Afters
    • Before & Afters

      Who doesn’t LOVE a good before & after? If you want to be inspired by the whole reno process, and not just the shiny photos at the end, this is the place for you!

      View Articles

      • Before & Afters
      • Jen’s reno
      • Real Renos
      • RENO ADDICT
    • 20240206_185022-01Before & after: tiles steal the show in 90s kitchen revamp
    • IMG_0235Kerb appeal: 3-bedder given fresh new look for retirees
  • Reno Addict
    • RENO ADDICT

      Looking for reno inspo? Find it all here, from other people’s projects to the latest trends, tools and products, whether you’re DIY-ing or employing trades.

      View articles

      • Reno Products
      • The Block
      • DIY
      • Reno Trends
      • Before & Afters
      • Real Renos
    • TheClassicOutfitter_AbbieMelle_43Quartzite is the new ‘it’ stone but it’s more than just Taj Mahal
    • 0C5A0574-EditMosman en suite gets “sexy, strong, girly and sophisticated” look
  • Shopping
    • Shopping

      Want to know where to buy the latest furniture, homewares, rugs, art and more? We’re always sharing our latest finds and telling you where you can buy them.

      View Articles

      • Furniture
      • Homewares
      • Art
      • Smart Home
      • Appliances
      • Reno Products
    • COMMERCIAL_GoldOverBlue_28May2025_0007What’s new in furniture and homewares: May 2025
    • Screenshot 2025-05-19 at 1.02.34 pmClean your carpets professionally at home without the dry time
  • Inspiration
    • Inspiration

      While Jen’s a legitimate interiors addict, she’s no design professional, so she calls on an army of the country’s best to share their expertise with you. Be inspired by their stories too!

      View Articles

      • Decorating 101
      • Interviews
      • Expert Tips
      • Before & Afters
      • House Tours
      • Designers
      • Styling
      • Renovating
      • Real Renos
      • Covet my coffee table
    • Montage Apartment by Studio PrineasApartment takes out two major categories in design awards
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle

      We’re mostly about the home but Jen also likes to share other things she thinks you’ll love, like food and travel.

      • Recipes
      • Travel
      • Parenting
    • Crispy egg noodles with seafood p. 116Foodie Friday: crispy egg noodles with seafood
    • 1293660_lifestyle Crossland Pearl GL-Porc Txt Rect 597×1195 UNI_Crossland_AMB 02_Living_PearlHow to bring your favourite travel destinations home
  • Jobs
    • Advertise on our job board
    • Job Board FAQs for advertisers

House tour: Minimalist Sydney retreat showcases artist’s work

By Amy Collins-Walker •

FacebookPinWhatsAppEmailTweet

By Tahnee Carroll

Home to talented artist Leanne Thomas, her GP husband Jo and their two teenage children, Bella, 19 and Will, 16, as well as two senior Daschunds, this Sydney renovation is a lesson in understatement. The minimalist home is also the perfect canvas for Leanne’s artwork.

maroubra-067-9-9

Owner Leanne Thomas with her artworks & beloved Daschunds

Built in 1983, the original home was typically boxy and lacking in natural light, so when Leanne and Jo purchased the property in 1997, it instantly became apparent what needed to be done. Initially, the pair did small renovations internally and completely gutted the backyard and installed a low maintenance landscaped garden complete with two-storey high hedging (Leighton Green Pine trees) as well as a vine covered arbor. Two children and 15 years later and the Thomases were ready for the major renovation their home so dearly needed.

5A5A7822-3

The lovely, green garden

“We wanted open spaces. The original design was quite boxy and not great for people to spread out. We found that groups of people would come for social gatherings and all congregate in the kitchen, which was a small space inside a much bigger space,” says Leanne.

maroubra-017-1-4

Living room

With the larger space not utilised, they decided to knock down the internal walls and completely gut the interior, creating an open plan living and dining space for the whole family. “We find that people tend to spread out now, but still have that ‘together’ feeling because we’re all still in the one space — it’s just a lot larger. We also have a lot more natural light reaching areas of the house that it didn’t before,” says Leanne.

maroubra-108-18-18

Powder room

Going through a renovation whilst still living in your home can be a chaotic time in any young family’s life. “It was the hardest thing in the world! We converted three bedrooms into a mini apartment that we could lock at night, as the house was open for quite a few months. It was dirty and impossible to keep the dust out!” The renovation went very smoothly from start to finish. “Our builder was brilliant and he kept the job going day after day. There was always someone here during that time so we felt confident that the job was moving along at a good pace — something you need to see when you can’t wait for it to end!”

maroubra-044-5-5

Kitchen

“People inspired our renovation. We always have loads of people in our house – there are usually an extra few at our dinner table and we love that. We wanted great, open and positive spaces for them to feel at home. People often remark at how relaxed they feel when they come in.” The subdued colour scheme creates an innate sense of tranquillity within the interior whilst also allowing the natural light to bounce around the rooms. The lighting has been strategically designed to suit the family’s preference for lamps and candles, which are dotted throughout the interior rather than focusing on intense overhead lighting solutions.

Every detail has been considered, especially with the kitchen design. “It has a hidden away pantry which is great for quick cleanups if people are coming over. Everything goes into the back room to keep the kitchen looking minimal. When I designed the kitchen, I thought about every item and made sure each had a place to be stored. I wanted everything quite minimal so the island bench is an altar-like shape, as simple as possible,” says Leanne. She has also incorporated a rose gold, mirrored splashback, which intentionally reflects the green of the garden into the space and gives the appearance of looking through into another garden.

maroubra-052-7-7

Walk-in pantry

One of the great surprises of the renovation is the addition of the walk-in pantry behind the kitchen. “You’d never know it was there! Within this room we also love our floor to ceiling pinboards, which are a great spot for family notes and loads of family pics,” says Leanne.

maroubra-079-1

Bathroom details & Leanne’s art

They wanted downstairs to be purely for entertaining and upstairs for the family. The bedrooms are all located upstairs along with an enclosed veranda which has been turned into a much loved gym and the family TV room. The only television downstairs is hidden within the timber pylon and faces the kitchen so Leanne can watch the news whilst cooking, whilst the laundry and downstairs bathroom are concealed behind a large pivot door off to the side of the living space. The layout really shows how in-depth Leanne and Jo thought about the new design. Even the precise location of power points was considered!

maroubra-086-12-12

Leanne’s studio

Leanne’s incredibly realistic paintings are spread throughout their home, adding subtle pops of colour to the soft tones of the interior. “My aesthetics and sensibilities stem from a love of classical art, nature and the sublime. This combined with an interest in the relationship between light and shadow, bright and dark, blur and detail, near and far is what defines my work. Ultimately, I am committed to creating art that exudes light, life and hope in a way that resonates with every viewer.”

maroubra-102-17-17

Before embarking on her career as a full-time artist, Leanne was an art director who worked in advertising and publishing for 10 years; a background that has played a subconscious but nonetheless integral role in creating the well designed home. When her children started school, Leanne enrolled herself in a three-year oil painting course at the Charlie Sheard Studio School in Redfern. “I set up in our garage and painted here for a couple of years before we did the major reno. We then divided the garage in half, opened up a wall to let in more light and added some good storage. It’s a small space but I love it. It has good ventilation and bi-fold doors that I can open up completely.”

maroubra-115-20-20

Bedroom

Guided by her desire to express beauty, Leanne’s paintings begin first by capturing images through a photographic medium. These images, along with loads of other inspiration pictures torn from her favourite magazines, are dotted along the walls of her studio, creating instant moodboards to inspire new works, “I redo this at the start of every year. Sometimes I would have been thinking about themes or colours over the Christmas break and then I set about pulling bits and pieces out of magazines to match the mood; Kinfolk and Cereal are my faves,” she says.

maroubra-122-21-21

Bedroom

Check out Leanne’s work here.

Photography (Lynden Foss), words and styling (Tahnee Carroll) of Citizens of Style

FacebookPinWhatsAppEmailTweet

May 30, 2016

Primary Sidebar

Popular This Week

  • Australian bathroom standards: dimensions explained by an expert

  • Apartment takes out two major categories in design awards

  • Win the new super slim robot vacuum and mop from DEEBOT

  • Modern architectural gem is perfect for family living

  • How we finally got the living room layout we love

Follow us on Instagram

If you pick your restaurants for the interior as m If you pick your restaurants for the interior as much as the food, you might want to add @pinosalmare  by @nicgrahamandassociates to your date night list! 😍

@smartstoneaustralia's stunning Calacatta Viola sintered stone surface features throughout, making a bold statement while being durable enough to be used in the busiest areas.

Inspired by Puglia, Pino's (named after the owner's father) in Cronulla has a real seaside vibe. The Smartstone was also chosen for the outdoor tables due to its UV stability.

#calacattaviola #smartstone #restaurantinteriors #restaurantinteriordesign #italianrestaurantsydney #engineeredstone #sinteredstone
SPA VIBES was the brief for this bathroom and @jas SPA VIBES was the brief for this bathroom and @jasminemcclellanddesign delivered. And then some!

"With a keen eye for design, they wanted their main bathroom to feel calm, spa-like and elevated with more storage, better layout, and soft, layered textures in a neutral palette. Lighting was another big focus, with the goal of creating a space that felt luxurious enough to unwind in, preferably with a glass of champagne in the bath.”

Is it a yay or a nay for you?

Head to the blog via link in bio/stories for all the suppliers as well as a look at the powder room with its bold wallpaper 😍

#spabathroom #zenbathroom #spavibes #bathroomremodels 

📸 @jonathantabensky
Vacuums, mops, empties itself. Slim enough to get Vacuums, mops, empties itself. Slim enough to get under the lowest furniture and beds.

Comment 'enter' and we'll DM you the link to enter for your chance to win this top of the range $1499 robot from @ecovacs_anz, the DEEBOT T50 PRO OMNI.

Good luck!

#robotvacuumcleaner #robotvaccum #robotvacuummop #robotmop #smarthome #houseworkhacks
>>>Swipe for the transformation! 😮 From cold t >>>Swipe for the transformation! 😮

From cold to cosy!

This primary ensuite for a successful career woman working in luxury cosmetics and homewares is sexy, strong, girly, but sophisticated. We love its warmth and personality.

If you'd like to take the tour and find out where everything is from, comment 'luxe' below and I'll send the link to your DMs!

Bravo @howardlanedesigns 👏🏼 
📸 @capturedbykels__

#ensuiteinspo #ensuitedecor #ensuitegoals #marblebathrooms #statementstone
The latest addition to my @kirstenjackson_gallery The latest addition to my @kirstenjackson_gallery collection. This is a framed canvas and the quality is amazing. I feel like beautifully framed canvas prints are the perfect affordable halfway point when it comes to art.
What's your decor style? Spring, summer, autumn or What's your decor style? Spring, summer, autumn or winter?

I could have told you I was spring even before I took the quick quiz to find out, and pleased to report the quiz gave me the right result!

Comment the season you THINK you are below (spring, summer, autumn or winter) and I'll send you the link to the quiz so you can double check!

Fun!

This quiz from @templeandwebster jumps on the colour analysis trend for fashion and applies it to interiors!

#seasonaldecorating #seasonaldecor #colouranalysis
The @thermomix_au TM7 launch in Sydney yesterday w The @thermomix_au TM7 launch in Sydney yesterday was a real treat. Such an exciting and sleek looking upgrade to my favourite kitchen machine!

The new look speaks for itself and, as usual, the engineering is impressive. Here's the biggest changes that stood out to me:

1. It's SO quiet and in fact SILENT up to a certain speed 
2. It has a much bigger 10 inch screen
3. A new insulated, cool to touch bowl (the inner metal bowl detaches to wash)
4. A gorgeous new matte black design with fluted and herringbone details and made of 30% recycled materials 👏🏼 

Enjoyed a beautiful lunch all prepared, naturally, in the Thermomix! Was great to meet @mise_en_place_aus in real life as well as special guest dessert queen @kirstentibballs and catch up with the lovely Thermomix team.

Tag a friend who'll be coveting the TM7! It's available from next week!

#thermomixtm7 #thermomix #thermomixaus #thermomixlover
Awards are always a great place to get inspo. Chec Awards are always a great place to get inspo. Check out the kitchen and bathroom of the year winners in this month's @hia_au @csrdwelling Housing Awards. There's more winning homes and rooms to check out in our blog post on the homepage, via link in bio or stories now. 

Kitchen by @build.theory Bathroom by @birdblackdesign and @aspire_constructions 

#hiaawards #hiaawards2025 #awardwinninghomes #australianinteriordesign
We're so in love with this reno by @jdzdesigns_ 😍😍😍

It's a remodel of a previously dark and pokey extension to a Victorian Gothic home. It's now an open plan dream, and the transition from old to new is beautifully done with impressive black steel doors.

Head to the blog via link in bio/stories for the full story and tour.

#kitchenislands #superwhite #luxurykitchens #openplanlivingspace #steeldoordesign

📸 @lawrencefurzey
Follow on Instagram
Visit Jen's profile on Pinterest.

Get Your Free Ebook

Ebook cover

Never miss the latest renovating and interiors products, news and inspo again! Sign up for our newsletter and we'll send you the best bits from the blog, direct to your inbox. Plus you'll get our latest eBook: Just One Thing To Elevate Your Interior, featuring Australia's top design talent.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Amy Collins-Walker

About Amy Collins-Walker

Amy is our regular feature writer, an experienced journalist and interior stylist living in Perth, Western Australia. Find out more about her styling work at http://www.amycollinswalker.com/

More from Art

Artist creates for Block’s Dan & Dani after loss of baby Billie

What’s new in furniture and homewares: March 2025

Boyd Blue announce new collaboration with Kate Nixon

New Dinosaur Designs collection: Chestnut

Discover the latest trends in home & decor at Reed Gift Fairs

Weave Australian nostalgia into your home with Carmen Hui art

How to tap into the growing trend for smaller original artworks

Interiors Addict’s Best of the Black Friday home sales

Jewellery designer turns her creative flair to fun homewares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Aishwarya says

    May 31, 2016 at 2:21 am

    Great collections of interior design. inspirational Images. Thanks for sharing

Promo Area

Footer

Interiors Addict

Interiors Addict

  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Jen
  • Press
  • Jobs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure Policy

Browse

  • RENO ADDICT
  • Jen’s Reno
  • House Tours
  • Real Renos
  • Interviews
  • Styling
  • Designers
  • Bedrooms
  • Covet My Coffee Table
  • Expert Tips
  • The Block
  • Art
  • Furniture
  • Recipes

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RENO ADDICT

Copyright © 2011–2025 Addicted Media Pty Ltd
Website care by ClickWP · Log in