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The all-vintage home of Porteno restaurateurs, Elvis & Sarah

November 6, 2014 Leave a Comment

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Words by Leta Keens, ย photography by Saskia Wilson.

Elvis Abrahanowicz and Sarah Doyle, co-owners of Argentianian restaurants Porteno and Bodega, live with their two poodles Marcel and Buddy in a terrace in Sydney’s Newtown.

Elvis_Sarah_42

When you’re number five in a family of six girls, secondhand is part of life. โ€œI grew up in Vinnies,โ€ says Sarah Doyle. With a childhood like that, you might think sheโ€™d want to be surrounded by new things. Instead, Sarah wears vintage (altered to fit perfectly) or vintage-inspired pieces, and looks as if sheโ€™s stepped out of the โ€™50s; and she and husband Elvis Abrahanowiczโ€™s terrace, in Sydneyโ€™s Newtown, is crammed with retro belongings.

Elvis_Sarah_94

Sarah and Elvis, who run two Argentinian restaurants, Bodega and Porteรฑo, with their mate Ben Milgate, are crazy about rockabilly. They love the music. They love the style. โ€œOnce we found our rockabilly community, we realised it was OK to dress like this every day,โ€ says Sarah.

Elvis_Sarah_25

When theyโ€™re not working, theyโ€™re often cruising around in Elvisโ€™s 1933 black Ford Roadster or Sarahโ€™s two-tone blue 1958 FC Holden, with adored standard poodles Marcel and Buddy in the back, or theyโ€™re out walking the dogs or checking out flea markets.

They found their house, which was built in 1889, six years ago. Painted in a โ€œrancid butterโ€ colour, with horrible white carpet in all rooms, it needed more than a little bit of imagination to peel back its layers of nastiness. Buying the house more or less coincided with opening Bodega, and so, says Sarah, all their energy went into that rather than their new home. It didnโ€™t help that Porteรฑo opened two or three years later. โ€œWeโ€™ve meant to do things to the house, but havenโ€™t got around to doing too much at all,โ€ she says. Sheโ€™s exaggerating just a little โ€“ theyโ€™ve done more than enough to turn the place into something lovely.

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What had attracted them to it wasnโ€™t so much the house, but more its location, not far from the suburbโ€™s main strip, King Street. โ€œEveryoneโ€™s got their own thing going on around here,โ€ says Sarah. โ€œThere are the ravers, the goths, the rockabillies, everyoneโ€™s so friendly, and no one judges anyone else.โ€ It turns out they moved into the nicest street possible, where neighbours help each other and actually want to hang out together, and one of them has the keys to everyoneโ€™s houses.

Elvis and Sarah always knew they wanted to live somewhere in the inner city. They both grew up in the suburbs โ€“ Sarah in Penrith, and Elvis in Fairfield, after his family moved from Argentina when he was seven. But in the 14 years the couple has been together, theyโ€™ve always been close to the city. โ€œWe looked at buying somewhere else before we found this,โ€ says Sarah. โ€œWeโ€™re not known for our patience and were really angry when we didnโ€™t get that place in Chippendale. I went out and looked at a couple more places, saw this and made sure we got it.โ€

Elvis_Sarah_83

One of the first things Elvis did after they moved in was to chip off a piece of plaster in the hall to see what was behind it. He discovered beautiful old bricks, but then kicked himself for doing it. โ€œI realised Iโ€™d have to do the whole lot, and it took ages!โ€ It also created lots of dust, so it was just as well they didnโ€™t want the carpet, which they ripped up afterwards. After that, they repainted all the rooms and installed new floorboards, and suddenly the house started to look loved again.

A chef needs a good kitchen, and so it was a priority to replace the less-than-appetising purple and white one that was there. Not that he and Sarah get much time to cook at home when theyโ€™re running two restaurants; but when they do, itโ€™s good to have it exactly the way they like it. โ€œWe got the guy who does the restaurant fit-outs to do the steel for us here,โ€ says Sarah. โ€œHe kept saying, โ€˜Donโ€™t you want proper cupboards?โ€™โ€ They didnโ€™t โ€“ they wanted all open shelving, with a recycled timber top. โ€œWe only have stuff out that we use,โ€ says Sarah, adding that everything is from another era. โ€œWe donโ€™t have things like electric kettles and toasters or microwaves โ€“ theyโ€™re so ugly.โ€

One of their greatest finds is the old St George stove. There was already one there when they moved in, but after that broke down, they found another on Gumtree for virtually nothing. โ€œThe guy who brought it round couldnโ€™t understand why weโ€™d want it,โ€ says Sarah, โ€œbut itโ€™s the best, totally controllable. He said heโ€™d install it for us, which was great โ€“ it turned out heโ€™d worked on ovens for Qantas for more than 20 years.โ€

Elvis_Sarah_55

The rest of the house is furnished and decorated with pieces picked up at flea markets, vintage stores, op shops and vintage festivals. A lamp in the lounge room is Sarahโ€™s one-and-only purchase on eBay. โ€œI find eBay too confusing,โ€ she says, โ€œand I like to go out and look around and find things myself.โ€

Favourite pieces include a $5 parrot found at a flea market, which now hangs in the living room, and the dressing table made by Edward Hill, a Surry Hills cabinetmaker, which they discovered at one of their favourite shops, Retro on Regent. Over the years, theyโ€™ve become friends with the owners. โ€œWhenever we go there, I fall in love with everything in the shop,โ€ says Sarah. โ€œNow when we visit, I stand outside, to stop myself.โ€

Elvis_Sarah_89

Even the bathroom has a vintage touch, thanks to the cupboard above the washbasin. Itโ€™s custom-made, with doors concocted from an old mirror that has been sliced down the middle. โ€œI didnโ€™t want one of those boring bathroom cabinets,โ€ says Sarah. And then thereโ€™s the phone in the bedroom, an old wall-mounted one, restored and in working order. โ€œItโ€™s not great for doing phone banking,โ€ she says.

Throughout the house, thereโ€™s a sense of love and of people who donโ€™t take themselves too seriously. The Christmas lights are still up in the bedroom, mainly because the bedside lights are American and the bulbs blow all the time. Fake flowers are dotted around the house. โ€œI love fresh ones,โ€ says Sarah, โ€œbut when youโ€™re working all the time, itโ€™s hard to have them.โ€

In the house, too, thereโ€™s the feeling that theyโ€™ve chosen everything together. Thereโ€™s only one area they donโ€™t agree on. โ€œThe artwork โ€“ he likes tattoo art and car stuff,โ€ says Sarah, pointing to pieces hanging in the hallway. โ€œAnd I like anything thatโ€™s not that.โ€

This article is an extract from the book Spaces volume two by frankie magazine, which has been re-released in time for Christmas. Buy online for $24.95 with with free shipping within Australia.

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Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

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Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

โœ”๏ธ I'm English ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008๐Ÿ˜† 

โœ”๏ธ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. ๐Ÿ› 

โœ”๏ธ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) ๐Ÿ““ 

โœ”๏ธ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London ๐Ÿš” 

โœ”๏ธI had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK โค๏ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 

โœ”๏ธ At school, my favourite subject was French ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท and I was head girl ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿค“

โœ”๏ธ I'm addicted to โ˜•๏ธ , long hot baths and๐Ÿ’„ (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

โœ”๏ธ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My favourite cuisine is Japanese ๐Ÿฃ ๐Ÿœ and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

โœ”๏ธ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

โœ”๏ธ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or๐Ÿท 

โœ”๏ธ Cheesy as it sounds, ๐Ÿ’โ€โ™€๏ธbeing a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life ๐Ÿง’๐Ÿ‘ฆ

โœ”๏ธ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view ๐Ÿ“– 

โœ”๏ธ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

โœ”๏ธ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker ๐Ÿ˜ฏ ๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better ๐Ÿ˜˜

๐Ÿ“ธ @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

โ€œWe are very honoured to have been a part ofย The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,โ€ he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

๐Ÿ™Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
I'd love to see more colour in Aussie interiors! I'd love to see more colour in Aussie  interiors! ๐ŸŽจ 

At the end of the day though, it's a matter of personal taste. I love pops of colour but it's not for everyone. 

We couldn't resist featuring this Canadian house tour today. The amazing Kelly Green  hutch (swipe) was an upcycled $200 find ๐Ÿค—

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Project by @in.house.design
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Pic: @justinalexanderphoto
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None of us enjoy laundry (OK, there are a few of you out there who do. Weird!) but we have to do it. And often. So if your laundry bin can be as good looking, functional and space saving as this, then why wouldn't you?!

I've lost track of how many baskets I've thrown out because they've gone soggy or mouldy. They look pretty, sure, but they're not fit for purpose and they're often messy and overflowing.

Here's what I love about his @brabantia_australia one:

โœ”๏ธ ventilation holes
โœ”๏ธ no need to remove the lid for small items plus it hides your dirty laundry from view
โœ”๏ธ easily removable and washable inner laundry bag that velcros back on 
โœ”๏ธ corrosion resistant so fine in bathroom or laundry 
โœ”๏ธ Brabantia make things as sustainably as possible
โœ”๏ธ compact, sleek, European design
โœ”๏ธ 10 year warranty
โœ”๏ธ tall and skinny so takes up less floor in my tiny laundry

The Rolls Royce of laundry bins? I think so ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

TOLD you this was going to be exciting!

Now I need to know, do you have your laundry basket in the bathroom, the laundry, every bedroom? We used to have one in each bedroom but moved to the laundry-only situation which I much prefer (one for colours and one for whites). My boys know to put their used clothes in the bin in the laundry each night and they're 7 and 3!  #raisingfuturehusbands

#gifted
"Living rooms are important spaces where our publi "Living rooms are important spaces where our public and private lives intersect."

So says stylist @nataliewalton in her gorgeous new book Style, the Art of Creating a Beautiful Home.

"They are where we gather to welcome guests and entertain. But they are also where we decompress and relax at the end of the day. Increasingly, they are open-plan spaces and need to work within a greater scheme. Bringing all the elements together cohesively requires care and consideration. And, if you want a space that lives up to its true potential, make it personal and create with conviction."

Read an extract, the chapter on elevating your living room, on the blog today via link in bio.

Published by @thamesandhudsonau Pix by @chriswarnes 

#livingroomdesigns #nataliewalton #coffeetablebooks #designbooks #interiorsbooks #livingroominteriors #elevateyourspace
Kids and husband messing with my vignettes again๐Ÿคจ

PS. The coaster was RIGHT THERE ๐Ÿคช
#weatherforit ๐Ÿฅถ Need a new blanket? Look no fu #weatherforit ๐Ÿฅถ

Need a new blanket? Look no further than these gorgeous South African blankets from @baobabcollective, sustainably sourced, ethically crafted and imported by a Southern Highlands couple.

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