This gorgeous c1910 Federation house in Beecroft ( Sydney) was in dire need of an update to the interior colour scheme; the two-toned walls and a floral border from the 1980s weren’t at all appealing. The original features include picture rails, stained glass windows and beautiful ornate ceilings. The challenge was to select a contemporary colour scheme that made the most of these architectural features. The first stage renovation started with the a new colour palette in the original front section of the house. A total revamp and renovation at the rear of the house and updated exterior colour scheme came later.
The client wanted to make a statement by using a deep charcoal on the walls in the formal dining room. We selected a neutral wheat colour (from Porter’s Paints) for the remaining rooms. The last component of the colour palette was a bright white for the ceilings, cornices and all the woodwork. This provided a high level of contrast, particularly with the deep charcoal used in the dining/piano room. The neutral colour scheme also serves as the perfect backdrop to the client’s colourful art and eclectic collection of antiques.
The hallway and dining/piano room retained the original Cyprus pine floorboards, and a new wheat coloured carpet used in the bedrooms and lounge room. The contemporary neutral colour scheme used throughout the interior showcases the architectural features found in a Federation house.
Further information
This project was entered in the Resene Total Colour Awards in 2017, showing how a contemporary palette can be used to great effect in updating period homes.
The owners extended the house a few years later, adding a large open plan kitchen, dining and living space to the rear of the house. Here we used a contemporary grey and white palette in this space, and we will add more photos as soon as we can take them.
Read more about our approach to Heritage and Period Homes.
Photography by @rolandknightimages
