This 1920s Californian Bungalow in the leafy suburb of Lindfield (in Sydney) needed an update to the interior colour scheme. The original section of the house contains period features such as ornate cornices, picture rails, and stained glass windows. The rear section contains a more up to date open plan kitchen, dining and living room. Overall the house contains a great mix of old and new features.
The owners were keen to update the all-white interior scheme to a crisp and contemporary grey and white palette. We used a range of greys, the darkest shade in the formal rooms, slightly lighter in the hallways and bedrooms, and lighter still in the modern extension. Using the same bright white on all the trims and woodwork brings cohesion to all the spaces.
The original rooms contain all the period features including ornate cornices, battened ceilings, decorative picture rails, and tall skirting boards. All these areas being white creates an impact against the darkest grey on the walls in the formal rooms. A lighter shade of the same grey was used in the bedrooms, so the contrast between walls and trims is softer.
The lighter shade was also used in the large open plan kitchen, dining and living area at the back, giving the colour scheme a contemporary update. Using an all-white scheme is not the best way to update a period home. The architectural features and sizes of the rooms allow them to take on a depth of colour that doesn’t work well in an open-plan contemporary space. This project shows just how well deeper toned colours work in the formal rooms of older period homes. The owners love the updated interior colour scheme in their period Lindfield home.
Photography by Roland Knight Photography.
See further details of our Colour Consulting Services.
