Authentic Intentions: Considered Touches for a Terrace Makeover

Images by The Palm Co
Answers by Jessi Deakin, interior decorator, stylist and owner of Jessi Eve

Who lives here: A woman and her foster kittens
Location: Newtown, NSW
Approximate size of house: Around 90 square metres
How many bedrooms and bathrooms: Two bedrooms and one bathroom
Stylist: Jessi Deakin, interior decorator, stylist and owner of Jessi Eve

What is the house like?
A 40-year-old, two-storey terrace house with two bedrooms and one bathroom.

What condition was it in when you came onboard?
Totally liveable. The only things required were cosmetic updates.

Is this the year you redecorate? Find a local interior designer on Houzz

The dining room before works

What wasn’t working for the client?
The layout was fine. My client just wanted a decorative look and feel that was more aligned with her style and taste.

The dining room after works

Brief
To create a beautiful, comfortable and low-maintenance interior and courtyard to suit my client’s laid-back, social lifestyle and mindful values.

She sought a deep palette of greens, blues and greys, complemented by earthy tones.

We were conscious of selecting quality, investment pieces that wouldn’t just end up in landfill as the seasons and trends change. We favoured ethically sourced, natural materials and wanted to support local artisans and businesses along the way.

The bedroom before works

Where did you focus your design attention?
Everywhere but the exterior, bathroom and kitchen, but the bathroom and kitchen may come later down the track.

The bedroom after works

Where did most of the budget go?
On furniture and decor.

We chose a simple four-seater dining setting so as not to swallow up too much floor space. We then created a much larger outdoor dining space to seat up to 10 people when the client is entertaining.

We chose a lot of rounded, soft- edged pieces to avoid anything feeling bulky in the small interior.
The arched mirror in the dining area, for example, bounces light around and gives the illusion of more space, while creating a wall feature that doesn’t compete with nearby artworks.

The entry area before works

I also worked with the client to brainstorm custom storage ideas to suit her needs, which she then took to her joiner to design and execute.

The entry area after works with new custom storage

As a big reader and book collector, a custom bookshelf was created for the entry area that incorporates pull-out shoe storage and a mirrored closet for coats and umbrellas.

A matching storage bench was also added to the space to minimise clutter.

The guest bedroom

The wardrobe in the guest bedroom was designed to allow both storage and open space for a dressing table area that doubles as a study nook.

The timber bedside table doubles as a stool for the nook when required.

The master bedroom saw the attic-style storage space transformed into a custom walk-in wardrobe for clothes, shoes and accessory storage.

What challenges did you have to work around?
I lost some sleep worrying about the sofa fitting through the narrow hallway and around the corner into the living room, but thankfully it wasn’t an issue in the end.

What was your biggest splurge and save?
The biggest splurge item was the 2.4 x three-metre Armadillo wool rug and the biggest save was the existing Ikea floor lamp – both in the living area.

Tell us about the colour palette
My client didn’t want anything white, except the walls. We went with Dulux Natural White to create a neutral and fresh but slightly warm base that allowed all the non-white elements to pop.

My client wasn’t a huge fan of bold pattern but she wasn’t afraid of colour or texture, so I played into that a bit more to ensure the space didn’t feel flat. She is very drawn to deep and moody jewel tones such as navy, emerald, maroon and mustard and so I brought those into the living and dining area. I introduced them through velvet cushions, a wool rug, artworks and accessories, which I balanced out with pops of natural timber, warm white and soft grey.

The bedrooms played with colour and texture in a gentler way with beautiful coloured linen in olive, grey and navy for the master, and mustard and burnt orange for the guest room. These tones connect with the main palette in the heart of the home, but they’re slightly more muted.

Black highlights in the alfresco furniture, lighting and accessories grounds the predominantly white palette outside

What did you do outdoors?
The existing space was just an empty courtyard with a garden-bed bench seat running along the back. We added a large outdoor dining table and chairs to maximise this area for when my client entertains. We also added some large pot plants and festoon lighting for atmosphere.

What are the defining features of this home now?
A striking palette with pops of moody jewel and earthy tones. A cohesive, relaxed feel throughout. Rich layered textures such as wool, linen, velvet, marble and timber. The beautiful, locally sourced and handmade timber furniture suite in the master bedroom is a pretty special feature too.