Houzz Tours
My Houzz: An Architect's Downsizer is all in the Detail
An 1880s Sydney terrace with badly constructed '70s additions becomes a bright and breezy haven for two
With their two children grown up and in their own homes, architect Phil Abram and his wife Freda were looking to downsize. They sold their large Federation house in Double Bay, Sydney – a house Freda had filled with life and colour – and bought an 1880s terrace house in Paddington, Sydney. Although the aspect, views and quiet position were ideal, the home was cursed with shoddy 1970s renovations. Not only that, but when they bought it, the house was in the process of being split into two apartments – but a family dispute between the previous owners meant the project had never been finished.
“It was pretty derelict,” says Phil. “It was a shambles before they renovated and the renovation just made it worse, but it’s in a fantastic position. The cul-de-sac location adjacent to a park was the clincher, and the side driveway allows lots of natural light to flood in.”
Phil entirely reworked the interior layout, “added bits on”, and excavated into the rock under the house to accommodate a garage, his architectural office, a kitchenette, bathroom, and multi-purpose spare room.
“It was pretty derelict,” says Phil. “It was a shambles before they renovated and the renovation just made it worse, but it’s in a fantastic position. The cul-de-sac location adjacent to a park was the clincher, and the side driveway allows lots of natural light to flood in.”
Phil entirely reworked the interior layout, “added bits on”, and excavated into the rock under the house to accommodate a garage, his architectural office, a kitchenette, bathroom, and multi-purpose spare room.
The light-filled central living area connects the house to the outdoor deck and leafy park beyond, and adjoins the dining/kitchen area and stairs leading up to the bedroom level. In the warmer months, all the windows and doors can open up to transform the space into a pavilion.
Phil opted for blond American rock maple flooring to suit the mid-century influence he wanted the home to reflect. “We also have a very strong Scandinavian-style influence in this house; it’s simple and pared back but also warm.”
American rock maple is used for bowling alleys so “it’s as hard as anything,” says Phil. “The carpenters working on it hated it because it was so tough. It’s really robust.”
“Do you like our dog?” asks Freda. “He’s really easy to look after!” She and Phil bought the paper dog from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art at the beginning of a five-week holiday. They then had to buy an additional bag to carry the dog around the US with them until they flew home.
Bi-fold doors with cassette flyscreens: Centor
Phil opted for blond American rock maple flooring to suit the mid-century influence he wanted the home to reflect. “We also have a very strong Scandinavian-style influence in this house; it’s simple and pared back but also warm.”
American rock maple is used for bowling alleys so “it’s as hard as anything,” says Phil. “The carpenters working on it hated it because it was so tough. It’s really robust.”
“Do you like our dog?” asks Freda. “He’s really easy to look after!” She and Phil bought the paper dog from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art at the beginning of a five-week holiday. They then had to buy an additional bag to carry the dog around the US with them until they flew home.
Bi-fold doors with cassette flyscreens: Centor
“We often try to frame views with lots of windows, not one big window, but then have the opportunity to open it right up,” says Phil. “I use lots of elegant, well-modulated timber windows to access the view, yet still provide a sense of containment and intimacy for the space. I think a view is enriched when you’re looking through windows rather than not seeing anything … It also focuses the view.”
Phil opted to remove the corner of the room to open it up further to the view.
Phil opted to remove the corner of the room to open it up further to the view.
Although Freda loves the design of the house and its abundance of natural light, she says the last house the pair renovated – a Federation house in Double Bay with big verandahs – was more her. “It was very cluttered and very ‘80s; I did a lot of decorating there, using lots of colour.”
But Phil’s suggestion to use white as the backdrop for colour in this house really works, she says. “Initially Phil said ‘leave it open, don’t clutter it up’, but over the years I’ve brought more stuff in and warmed it up a lot. I’ve put my touch on it.”
Figures: Sidewalk Tribal Gallery
But Phil’s suggestion to use white as the backdrop for colour in this house really works, she says. “Initially Phil said ‘leave it open, don’t clutter it up’, but over the years I’ve brought more stuff in and warmed it up a lot. I’ve put my touch on it.”
Figures: Sidewalk Tribal Gallery
Freda painted the series of artworks above the sofa at the National Art School, depicting the park and lake next door. “It’s part of where we live,” she says.
Freda says she loves the aspect of the house and the fact that they don’t hear traffic. “It’s so central to Paddington but you don’t hear any noise; we only hear birds singing,” she says. “We’ll stay in this house until we’re too old; we love it here. We’ll probably move into a unit eventually, but I’d say we’ll be here for another 20 years.”
The Eames coffee table is original and the scatter cushions were collected on the couple’s travels to Sri Lanka, India and Morocco.
Rug: Armadillo & Co
Rug: Armadillo & Co
The deck off the living area is home to a lounge area and plunge pool. “I use it a lot,” says Phil. “I don’t relax a lot but when I do I like to lie out in the sun.”
Lounge furniture: Eco Outdoor
Lounge furniture: Eco Outdoor
Phil worked out of the house before renovations began and the build was finished a year and a half later. One of the difficulties of the redesign was that the existing house was split into two flats and spread over several levels.
“The dining room, kitchen and laundry were all on the lower entrance level when we bought the house,” says Phil, explaining that he raised all of these spaces to make the house flow.
The raised partition separating the kitchen from the dining area conceals the sink from view.
Hat moulds: Blue Mountains Antiques Fair
“The dining room, kitchen and laundry were all on the lower entrance level when we bought the house,” says Phil, explaining that he raised all of these spaces to make the house flow.
The raised partition separating the kitchen from the dining area conceals the sink from view.
Hat moulds: Blue Mountains Antiques Fair
A bench seat and integrated stairs connect the kitchen and dining area on one level to the raised living area.
Sofa, side tables and armchairs: Jardan
Sofa, side tables and armchairs: Jardan
The couple’s central European origins mean the dining area and kitchen play a major role in their “foodie-obsessed lifestyle”, according to Phil. “The house rotates around the dining experience,” he says.
Freda found the original dining table and chairs at Great Dane Furniture. “They have a sale twice a year; our son told us about it,” she says. “I got there early in the morning and this was the only blond table they had so I practically lay on it until Phil and our son arrived. You can seat 14 here and it was just perfect for the look of the house.”
The vase on the table is an Alvar Aalto original out of Finland.
Freda found the original dining table and chairs at Great Dane Furniture. “They have a sale twice a year; our son told us about it,” she says. “I got there early in the morning and this was the only blond table they had so I practically lay on it until Phil and our son arrived. You can seat 14 here and it was just perfect for the look of the house.”
The vase on the table is an Alvar Aalto original out of Finland.
Opposite the kitchen is a purpose-built display unit to house the couple’s collection of Clarice Cliff pottery, made in the ’30s.
“We collected it over 15 to 20 years,” says Phil. “I used to buy Freda a piece for an anniversary or birthday present.”
They weren’t always easy to find – some were found at op-shops, others at antique stores or auctions. For Freda’s 40th birthday, Phil had a cake made as a replica of the plate he’d found for her that year. He bought black candles for the occasion, measuring the distance between each before placing them in the cake – in true architect fashion.
“What we wanted to do was make the collection a visible part of our life and then we wanted to pick up some of the colours and decorate the house,” he says. The orange armchair in the living area is a prime example.
“We collected it over 15 to 20 years,” says Phil. “I used to buy Freda a piece for an anniversary or birthday present.”
They weren’t always easy to find – some were found at op-shops, others at antique stores or auctions. For Freda’s 40th birthday, Phil had a cake made as a replica of the plate he’d found for her that year. He bought black candles for the occasion, measuring the distance between each before placing them in the cake – in true architect fashion.
“What we wanted to do was make the collection a visible part of our life and then we wanted to pick up some of the colours and decorate the house,” he says. The orange armchair in the living area is a prime example.
Almost all the artwork in the house is by Freda, who spent many years working as a fashion designer and fabric buyer for a fashion house.
The blond timber on the floor is repeated in the kitchen cabinetry. Consistency of detail is a major reason the home flows harmoniously from one room to another. “When you’re walking through a house I don’t want to be distracted by it,” says Phil. “I like the experience to be subtle so you don’t really notice the house but you feel good in it.”
The blond timber on the floor is repeated in the kitchen cabinetry. Consistency of detail is a major reason the home flows harmoniously from one room to another. “When you’re walking through a house I don’t want to be distracted by it,” says Phil. “I like the experience to be subtle so you don’t really notice the house but you feel good in it.”
“We look out to the view from here,” says Phil. “Because we’re downsizers it’s often just the two of us so that’s where we’ll sit and have breakfast and read the paper. Freda does some work there sometimes too.”
Bar stools: Ke-Zu
Bar stools: Ke-Zu
“We wanted the kitchen to be a visible part of our everyday life,” says Phil. To give it an open and exposed feel, Phil treated it like a piece of Danish-inspired furniture – in keeping with the home’s mid-century influence. The units were designed to sit above the floor on legs rather than having kick plates, providing a sense of lightness not commonly associated with kitchen cabinets.
Range hood: Smeg
Range hood: Smeg
The kitchen benchtop is zinc. “We didn’t want a sterile feel in the house; we wanted to express our life as we lived it and that’s what this benchtop does,” says Phil. “We’re not always happy about it, it’s easily marked. Sometimes it looks awful and other times it’s great. Some people love it, some people hate it.”
The Italian stovetop is a stylish addition on the relatively shallow benchtop, designed to maximise the space available for the adjacent dining area.
Stovetop: Barazza
The Italian stovetop is a stylish addition on the relatively shallow benchtop, designed to maximise the space available for the adjacent dining area.
Stovetop: Barazza
The basement office has room for two architects to work in comfort, along with space for guests.
Two courtyards and a terrace create leafy outlooks from many vantage points in the house and an indoor-outdoor flow.
The master suite takes up the entire first floor.
Imperfectly perfect timber boards add texture and charm in various rooms in the house, including this powder room between the kitchen and study at the front of the house.
“In renovating old houses, we found cracked old boards had so much charm, so since then we’ve used that as an element to warm up rooms,” says Phil. “In the bathroom, the variation of gaps gives an aged feel and charm that you’d find in an old farm house.”
When their daughter was about five, Freda had two little dresses made for her. “I painted the one on the left and Phil did the one on the right.” They are hung here on old Dutch hangers that used to belong to Phil’s mother.
“In renovating old houses, we found cracked old boards had so much charm, so since then we’ve used that as an element to warm up rooms,” says Phil. “In the bathroom, the variation of gaps gives an aged feel and charm that you’d find in an old farm house.”
When their daughter was about five, Freda had two little dresses made for her. “I painted the one on the left and Phil did the one on the right.” They are hung here on old Dutch hangers that used to belong to Phil’s mother.
“Often people have a wall of family photos, but Freda is an artist so we have a wall of paintings,” says Phil. “The wall is a representation of our travels and our life, our kids and our parents, and our times here and overseas. Freda built this up over four or five years.”
Freda runs a fashion business from home, holding showings for loyal clients a few times a year.
Freda runs a fashion business from home, holding showings for loyal clients a few times a year.
Phil designed the staircase, and based the handrail on the fine steel railings he’d seen in Europe. “We were in Italy just before we were doing this house,” says Phil. “I’m always looking at details when we travel. This was the result of measuring up a few steel railings in churches and old buildings.”
Phil had a “very good steel guy and stair guy” but he went through two builders before settling on Peter Daenell, the builder he’s built 29 houses with over a 20-year period. “I thought I couldn’t afford him but in the end I had to afford him because he was the only one that could work on the detail I wanted.”
Phil had a “very good steel guy and stair guy” but he went through two builders before settling on Peter Daenell, the builder he’s built 29 houses with over a 20-year period. “I thought I couldn’t afford him but in the end I had to afford him because he was the only one that could work on the detail I wanted.”
Upstairs, the spacious main bedroom has a relaxed feel and enjoys a cross-breeze from the balcony on one side and the windows on the other.
“I always try to have more than one or two faces of windows; that way your eye keeps going around the room,” says Phil.
The balcony is narrow and designed more to connect the space with the outdoors than being somewhere to sit. “It gives you the sense of space and the outdoors, but also a feeling that you’re contained,” says Phil, adding that he uses narrow balconies as a design feature in many of his projects.
The bedroom is carpeted and has underfloor heating, as does the adjoining ensuite. To maintain the home’s clean lines, fly screens and blinds are concealed. Although the home has no cornices, architraves or skirting boards, a subtle suggestion of them is achieved with the use of boards sitting flush with walls and windows.
“In the last house I designed for a client, what I wanted to do was use skirtings, architraves and cornices but make them contemporary by stripping them back so there was a suggestion of the old,” says Phil. “In this house I took it one step further by keeping the architraves flush so it’s more of a line than a feature, and then we used two different paints so in certain lights you can pick up the difference. It’s sort of a subliminal heritage feeling without it being that.”
Bedside tables: Kazari Japanese originals; BL2 table lamp: Bestlite
“I always try to have more than one or two faces of windows; that way your eye keeps going around the room,” says Phil.
The balcony is narrow and designed more to connect the space with the outdoors than being somewhere to sit. “It gives you the sense of space and the outdoors, but also a feeling that you’re contained,” says Phil, adding that he uses narrow balconies as a design feature in many of his projects.
The bedroom is carpeted and has underfloor heating, as does the adjoining ensuite. To maintain the home’s clean lines, fly screens and blinds are concealed. Although the home has no cornices, architraves or skirting boards, a subtle suggestion of them is achieved with the use of boards sitting flush with walls and windows.
“In the last house I designed for a client, what I wanted to do was use skirtings, architraves and cornices but make them contemporary by stripping them back so there was a suggestion of the old,” says Phil. “In this house I took it one step further by keeping the architraves flush so it’s more of a line than a feature, and then we used two different paints so in certain lights you can pick up the difference. It’s sort of a subliminal heritage feeling without it being that.”
Bedside tables: Kazari Japanese originals; BL2 table lamp: Bestlite
“We gave this house a very neutral background, and then introduced some old pieces to add a bit of charm,” says Phil.
Simple finishes were used in the bathroom, with timber flooring everywhere but the shower, where a single piece of limestone was used. “We didn’t want to have lots of tiling.”
The window frames are traditional but have a fresh, fine look. “A lot of the things we do are subtle,” Phil adds.
Simple finishes were used in the bathroom, with timber flooring everywhere but the shower, where a single piece of limestone was used. “We didn’t want to have lots of tiling.”
The window frames are traditional but have a fresh, fine look. “A lot of the things we do are subtle,” Phil adds.
The bedroom and ensuite both connect to the mezzanine-style dressing room. “We use cupboards to thicken walls and to create space for air-conditioning ducting and concealed doors,” says Phil. “It gives a sense of strength and solidness to the room.”
This design technique reoccurs throughout the house, and in many of the other houses Phil has designed.
A double-layer roof with conduits under each corrugation to allow heat to rise up and out vents in the roof. In summer, cool air from the basement is directed to the upstairs levels via a reversible exhaust system, while heat from up top can be exhausted down into the basement during winter.
This design technique reoccurs throughout the house, and in many of the other houses Phil has designed.
A double-layer roof with conduits under each corrugation to allow heat to rise up and out vents in the roof. In summer, cool air from the basement is directed to the upstairs levels via a reversible exhaust system, while heat from up top can be exhausted down into the basement during winter.
In the hallway a series of paintings by Freda represents 25 years of going to the beach at Byron Bay. The door at the far end leads to Phil’s spacious basement office, along with the garage, a multi-purpose room that Phil uses as a gym, and a kitchenette and bathroom – everything required for visiting clients.
The office has its own entrance beside the garage, which is fitted out with workshop storage with carefully organised sections. “My father was a cabinet maker. I’m not a maker, I just fix things,” says Phil.
The door to his office has an old stone step embedded into the driveway, saved from the original 1880s house. Other recycled stones have been used to create stepping stones in the courtyard where a tall olive tree is visible from both the kitchen and office.
The door to his office has an old stone step embedded into the driveway, saved from the original 1880s house. Other recycled stones have been used to create stepping stones in the courtyard where a tall olive tree is visible from both the kitchen and office.
The original terrace house facade has been preserved, with the front study’s gallery wall visible through the windows.
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Want more great architecture and design? Check out last week’s Stickybeak: A Designer’s Sustainable Home for the Future
Tell us
What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like the story, save your favourite images and join in the conversation.
More
Want more great architecture and design? Check out last week’s Stickybeak: A Designer’s Sustainable Home for the Future
Who lives here: Architect Phil Abram and artist/fashion designer Freda
Location: Paddington, NSW
Size: 270 square metres: 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Architect: Philip Abram Architects
Builder: Peter Daenell, Classic Home Improvements
Despite both Freda and Phil working largely from home, the ease and grace of the house – created with painstaking attention to detail – makes spending time here feel far from a chore. “I feel like I’m on holidays here,” says Phil. “It’s like I’m in a resort; it has that feel about it.”