Houzz Tour: Serenity and Style for a Happy Family Home in Cremorne

A soothing colour palette and clever tricks of the trade make this welcoming house a home the whole family can enjoy

17 October 2014
Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well. Follow her photodocumentary about pets and the people who love them on Instagram @unfoldingtails
Houzz editorial team. Photojournalist specialising in design, travel and living well.... More
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Interior designer Bronwyn Poole grew up on the same street as the house she would one day buy. She recalls passing by the home as a young teenager and thinking how lucky the people were who lived there. When it came on the market and she felt the home’s welcoming vibe at the front door during her first visit, she says it took her breath away – she was just the “emotional buyer” the real estate agent had been hoping would walk through the door!

Although the 1950s Art Deco home isn’t huge, it was the perfect size for a tight-knit family wanting a comfortable retreat from their busy weekday lives. It had been renovated in the 1980s, but Poole soon set to work to transform the interior into a serene, beautiful space for her family and friends to enjoy. She used a blend of coastal and Scandinavian influences, with “a hint of Mid-century, too.”

Houzz at a Glance
Who lived here: Film editor Jason Ballantine and his interior designer wife Bronwyn Poole, with their three young children, Hugh, 4, Ashley, 1, and Darci, 3 months
Location: Cremorne, on Sydney’s lower North Shore, NSW
Size: 220 square metres on a 670-square-metre block (4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 living areas)
This house in five words: fresh, clean, functional, comfortable, beautiful
Contemporary Exterior by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The exterior has what Poole calls “gorgeous P&O-style curves” in reference to the cruise ships, as well as the Art Deco front door with its porthole window.

“We inherited the home with a rather tacky schoolyard boundary fence so one of our first challenges was to design and construct a fence that was sympathetic to the home and would give it that modern-day feel we were seeking,” she says.
Contemporary Living Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
As you enter the home you are greeted by a small entry vestibule that feeds into the master bedroom, second bedroom and living area – Poole’s favourite room of the house.

“I wanted to improve the flow of the home by encouraging the large front living room to act as a thoroughfare as well as a comfy retreat that was conducive to relaxation, work or play,” Poole explains. “I didn’t want to fill the room with sofas or heavy pieces that would disturb this flow, but rather create a sense of space where we could admire the gorgeous treetop and district views.”

The oversized beanbag, covered in an Imperial Trellis fabric, is the focal point. “I wanted something that we could move and something that would encourage us to get down and play with the kids,” Poole says. “Having three little ones, we spend a lot of time on the floor building, constructing puzzles wrestling and cuddling – the beanbag was the perfect choice.”

Getting the flooring right was important in helping the interiors to flow. Poole chose a natural sisal flooring for all areas that were previously carpeted and polished the existing floorboards in the remaining areas.
Contemporary Living Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Poole has always loved the orderliness, purity and simplicity of Scandinavian design and adores natural textures, so when it came to decorating her own home, the direction she would take was clear from the start.

Texture plays just as important a role as colour in the home, with each piece carefully selected to make each space flow on from the other. A colour palette of celadon greens and cool whites also helped breathe light and serenity into the house. The idea was for the living spaces to be a calm oases where the family could unwind and recoup on weekends.

Oil burner: Ikou
Contemporary Home Office by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The vintage trestle table was a special find at a Bondi antique shop. Being benchtop height, it meant little hands could not reach important paperwork or the computer keyboard, and it provided the perfect backdrop to the room from the entry vantage point. The artwork above the trestle table is by Tes Pasola, a paper artist from the Philippines.
Contemporary Living Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
On the opposite wall Poole designed joinery and shelving to accommodate books and a small TV behind sliding doors. The laser-cut doors were backlit to provide extra ambiance at night.

“It was such a pretty light-filled room with lovely French doors,” Poole says. “My favourite memory of this room is nursing my three children in the wee hours of the night; the rocking chair shown in our bedroom was actually in this room and it was the perfect nursing chair.”

The addition of the Artemide Tolomeo suspension ceiling lamp gave the room that fun element of height which juxtaposed beautifully with the less traditional low bean bag.
Living Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole

Living Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The cane trunk in the lounge room is from Complete Pad, Poole’s online shop, and was her “saving grace for storing a mountain of kids’ toys.”
Living Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Poole had the custom-made timber mirrors distressed in line with the coastal vibe she was after. They helped frame the room and reflected the treetops outside. “They give the impression you are within the walls of a glasshouse,” Poole says.
Contemporary Dining Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The smallish dining area meant Poole had to be cautious in her choice of furniture – the table had to be small enough to allow people to circulate around it with ease.

The combination of the timber and frosted glass dining table worked well. “It’s not too sleek but minimal enough that it visually did not take up a lot of space,” Poole says. “The reflective surface also illuminated the room and reflected the sky, which was unintentional but a great contribution.”

In addition, the thin profile of the Arne Jacobsen leather upholstered Butterfly chairs were key to making this space work.
Contemporary Family Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The other challenge was the TV room that flowed from the dining space. “I wanted to cheat the dimensions of this room to allow for a comfortable seating area for a family,” Poole says.

Poole did this by extending an armless sofa to the room’s natural end and positioning a low side table at the room’s entry to make the room feel deeper than it actually is. “The addition of the Bertoia Bird chair was also critical and probably the single most important element in the room,” Poole says. “Like the Butterfly dining chairs, the wafer thin back of the Bird chair meant I could cheat the limited proportions of the room and step outside its natural end.”

These tricks, along with the comfortable seating, gave this room the cosy communal feel Poole was hoping for.
Contemporary Living Room by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Contemporary Kitchen by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Poole left the kitchen and bathroom largely alone, but gave the kitchen a quick makeover by replacing the handles and splashback tiles.
Contemporary Bathroom by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Contemporary Bedroom by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The white and green colour palette extends into the master bedroom. “The position of the bedroom off the entry and living room felt to me as though it needed to be an extension of the rest of the home,” Poole says.

Green also happens to be Poole’s favourite colour. “It gives me a deep sense of calm, peace and reflection,” she explains.
Contemporary Bedroom by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The timber bedhead, a matching floor-length mirror and side table were custom made in white bamboo.
Transitional Nursery by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The palest of greens plays a part in Ashley and Darci’s room, too. Poole had the fairy tree painted on the wall to create a magical atmosphere, and filled the room with pretty textiles and props.

Sheepskin: Ikea
Contemporary Kids by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Contemporary Kids by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
In four-year-old Hugh’s room, Poole departed from the colour scheme in the rest of the home. “It was the only room that was detached enough from the intrinsic flow of the house that I felt it could legitimately do its own thing in terms of colour and style without suffocating the home,” she says.

Poole’s number one objective was to create a room where bright and unavoidable primary-coloured toys could sit comfortably and thoughtfully. “I wanted his room to be full of the things he loved, but I wanted it to be a well-styled room, too,” she says. “The black and white frame wallpaper and grey-painted walls was my solution to this dilemma.”
Contemporary Bedroom by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Downstairs is another bedroom and bathroom with internal access to the garage and carport. The sisal flooring and pops of green against white make a reappearance here.
Contemporary Patio by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
The home’s interior decor is carried through to the outdoor eating area – the perfect vantage point to look over the twinkling lights of Cremorne. Poole designed the console table at university; it features stainless-steel mesh.
Contemporary Garden by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
White pebbles and green trees, ferns and giant agaves link the outside with the colour palette inside.
Contemporary Garden by Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Touch Interiors by Bronwyn Poole
Even the trampoline site has been given a thoughtful touch. Instead of a half-dead patch of lawn underneath, a trampoline-size circle has been strewn with mulch to keep the backyard looking its best.
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Andrew Millar
some kind of seed for the lamp???
   
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suzi rostron
Love it, right up my street, colours and design, both fab !
   
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rubymusic1
Carpet
   

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