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A delicate fusion of styles allows this Sydney home the best of both worlds
Who lives here: Pricillia and Ashley; and their daughters Amelia, three, and Grace, 10 months.
Style of home: A four-bedroom, three-bathroom fusion of Federation and contemporary that respected the former while adding mod cons and crisp, clean, modern style.
Location: Willoughby in Sydney, traditional land of the Gamaragal people.
Timeline: Interior designers Bone Made were hired in March 2021, and the build was from July to December 2021.
Budget: The original budget of $400,000 blew out to $600,000.
When owners Pricillia and Ashley walked into this four-bedroom Federation bungalow on Sydney’s lower North Shore in early 2021, they instantly fell for its period charms. Sinuous ceiling roses, cornicing and luminescent stained-glass windows, all blissfully intact, wove a special spell for this couple looking for a new home. “It ticked all the boxes, with its cottage-like feel, and all its detailing gave it so much character,” says Pricillia.
But the tired decor – vintage 1990s, with expanses of shiny knotted pine – marred the magic, and they knew the house would require work to make it their own. And despite the airy open plan on the rear, the result of an earlier renovation, when they walked in the door, rooms flanking the hallway created a closed-in feel. “While it had lovely high ceilings, it was not as open as we would like,” says Pricillia. “And it all felt dated.”
Through Instagram, Pricillia encountered the work of Bone Made principals Leah and Fliss Pitman, which encapsulated the look she was after. “We liked their portfolio’s warm, earthy feel, with neutral colours, breezy and airy, using lots of white but not clinical due to the timber and textures. We felt they could neatly combine a period cottage feel with the contemporary.”
According to Leah, “Pricillia and Ashley wanted to preserve the