• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Interiors Addict

The Interiors Addict

Style without the Snobbery

Job Board
  • Job Board
  • About
  • Before & Afters
  • RENO ADDICT
  • Kitchens
  • Bathrooms
  • Kids Rooms
  • Bedrooms
  • Living Room
  • Shopping
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipes
  • Parenting
  • Travel
Interiors Addict
  • 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
      • Subscribe

    • How to Pull a Living Room Look Together eBookSubscribe to the Newsletter!
  • 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
    • How to Pull a Living Room Look Together eBookSubscribe to the Newsletter!
  • 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
    • EnsuiteMakeover_web_JacquiTurk-5Saving money by using VJ panels instead of tiles in our new en suite reno
    • Laundry1Small space design solution: A laundry under the stairs!
  • 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
      • DIY
      • Reno Trends
      • Before & Afters
      • Real Renos
    • home-designHow has COVID-19 has changed 2021’s dream home?
    • Lounge roomArt Deco renovation the perfect blend of old and new for family living
  • 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
    • Contents ID's Mia modular sofaAustralian made sofas: Bespoke, fast and better for the local economy
    • sistersThe four sisters taking family tile business to new heights
  • 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
    • home-designHow has COVID-19 has changed 2021’s dream home?
  • 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
    • Passionfruit pavlovaFoodie Friday: Mini pavlovas with passionfruit curd
    • SOUL-of-Gerringong-backyard5 ways to make more money from your holiday property
  • Jobs
    • Advertise on our Job Board
    • Job Board FAQs for advertisers

Resort-like reno successfully blends old with new

November 18, 2020 Leave a Comment

Facebook0Pin00Email0Tweet0

Have you ever been on a holiday and felt like bringing that resort feeling home? Well that’s exactly what a young Sydney family did recently when they overhauled their mid-century bungalow with architect Georgina Wilson at the helm. “We wanted a house that was easy to entertain in. We wanted it to feel like a sanctuary and quite calm. When you open up all the doors onto the outdoor areas it does feel like a resort,” says owner Belinda Wilde.

Open plan living and dining

Located on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the home houses three growing boys and their parents. Not only is it sun-drenched (thanks to its northerly aspect), but the home has la leafy outlook and views to Middle Harbour too. Taking design cues from its surrounds, the home has a relaxed Australian coastal aesthetic with a fresh palette of white, timber, sandstone and lots of lovely textural details.

“The house is white and bright, but it’s got a lot of hints of texture in the timber beams, the sandstone, the mesh in the cabinetry doors, and the white v-groove panelling in the kitchen. The floor-length curtains in the living room add so much romance – they billow in the breeze which is really pretty,” says Belinda.

The glorious kitchen

The heart of the home, the open plan living, dining room and kitchen are sophisticated yet relaxed; the expansive spaces were designed with entertaining in mind. There’s a large picture window that frames the natural beauty of the surrounds and the space opens up onto the home’s outdoor entertaining areas. “In summer, we live outdoors around the pool, but in winter we gather around the beautiful sandstone fireplace. It works all year round,” says Belinda.

One of her favourite features is the dining room banquette seat that runs all the way along the wall and has storage underneath. “We can seat 14-to-16 at a push. In our old house we were forever bringing up other tables and chairs but not anymore!”

Dining
The dining room’s banquette seat is a favourite part of the home

The kitchen’s vertical joinery, white rattan and natural timber ceiling beams are another highlight. “The vertical joinery plays into that coastal, cottagey, Hamptons vibe. Slightly rustic. It gives it a nice texture while not being over the top – it still looks very sharp,” says architect Georgina.

Kitchen vertical
Kitchen

The home’s original 1970’s swimming pool is another high point of the home – it’s completely original aside from new tiling. Large by modern standards, everything has been arranged around the pool because you can see it from every angle in the house.

Backyard
Backyard
The view from the pool
The view from the pool

As with many renovations, cost constraints were a number one concern. Tasked with retaining as much of the original home as possible, Georgina reconfigured existing spaces and added a new two-storey structure at the rear of the home. “It’s very important when you’re forced to retain certain parts of a building, that the old and new sit comfortably alongside each other. We’ve achieved that, and it’s quite hard to tell what’s old and new,” says Georgina.

Master bedroom
Master bedroom
Ensuite
Ensuite

One of the most significant exterior changes is the addition of sandstone blocks. “It’s meant to look like the home is on a natural rock shelf. It kind of is but it just wasn’t coming through before,” says Georgina. But providing a facelift to the front of the home didn’t come cheap. “We weren’t sure about doing the sandstone at first because of the cost, but we were so happy that we did it in the end. We’ve never looked back. It’s been a huge asset to the look of the house. It makes the whole house, especially the exterior,” says Belinda.

Front elevation
Front elevation

And unlike many renovation stories, this one seems to have had a very happy ending. “The renovation actually exceeded our expectations. We absolutely love it. From what it used to be to where it is now? Amazing!”

Aerial view
Aerial view. What a location!

Photography: Murray Fredericks | Styling: Clare Delmar

For more

Three Birds Renovations: dated cottage to curvacious family home
Utilising space, championing storage, and building a home fit to last are vital elements to consider for families looking to renovate and modernise their homes. These factors were key when…

Facebook0Pin00Email0Tweet0

Primary Sidebar

Trending This Week

Visit Jen's profile on Pinterest.

Subscribe

Love interiors and renovating? Sign up for our bi-weekly emails featuring all the best bits! We'll also send you our free eBook:
How to Pull a Living Room Look Together

Real Renos

Lounge room

Art Deco renovation the perfect blend of old and new for family living

Coogee terrace renovation

Skinny Sydney terrace reno a triumph of understated design

Saving money by using VJ panels instead of tiles in our new en suite reno

Small space design solution: A laundry under the stairs!

Before & after: A fabulous $550 DIY bathroom makeover in Adelaide

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 Architecture

How has COVID-19 has changed 2021’s dream home?

Lounge room

Art Deco renovation the perfect blend of old and new for family…

remains if the popularity of this design (by Blakes of Sydney) is anything to go by.

The Best of Houzz 2021: The most popular architecture and design

Lounge room

Art Deco Melbourne home renovation a colourful blend of old and new

Pool

Luxury penthouse: A $9 million Melbourne sky home

Rear extension

Melbourne heritage overlay makes for unique renovation solution

Kitchen

Redfern terraces combined to create one light-filled home

House porn: A luxury Melbourne penthouse with 360° CBD views

Architect’s Victorian villa comes alive in colour

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Promo Area

Subscribe and Win

Sign up to our twice-weekly newsletter for all the best bits! Subscribe between now and March 31 for your chance to win a limited edition fabric artwork by Antoinette Ferwerda to use on your wall, table or however you like!
You must also follow Antoinette on Instagram for your entry to be valid.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

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 © 2011–2021 Addicted Media Pty Ltd
Website care by ClickWP · Log in

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!