A Sunny Bondi Terrace Renovation With A Candy-Pink Bathroom!

Olive House is a renovation of a period terrace, featuring new interiors by Studio Joan. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

It was a well-looked after semi in Bondi, but needed some refreshing to help bring the family of fours’ creative energy into the space. Sofa from MCM house. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

‘Holly [the client] has lots of mid-century inspired pieces so it was important that everything worked in a kind of eclectic but clean way – we also didn’t want everything to feel to ‘new’ and shiny but more earthy and warm.’ Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The new interiors were all about showcasing the family’s art and personal trinkets. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The dining room features a print by Dina Broadhurst photograph of a floating Acne bag – which wound up being a source of inspiration for the pink bathroom! Tableware by Saard Home. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The kitchen offers a pop of olive green, showcasing the client’s favourite colour. Joinery painted Dulux Paris Creek. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

Arundel Mushroom kitchen wall light from In Good Company. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The striking all-pink bathroom! Wall hung basin from United products. Glo ball light from Flos. Italian terrazzo floors from Surface Gallery. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

Tapware from Astra Walker. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The upstairs laundry and bathroom. ‘We loved handmade tiles but didn’t want it to feel to (in Hollys words) ‘crafty’ so we went with glazed Spanish hand-made tiles from Surface Gallery.’ Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The green ties in perfectly with the kitchen. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The light-filled kids bedroom. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

Bedroom side table and lamp by Jardan. Bed Head by McMullin & Co. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The new and improved bedroom sacrifices 1.5m to create a beautiful walk-in robe with an arched opening. Bedroom wall light by Millie Dent. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

A view into the sunny courtyard and backyard studio. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

A built-in bench seat built creates an intimate space for fires in winter. Photo – Lousie Wellington. Editorial styling – Rikke Harker

The renovation of this Bondi family home was all about finding simple ways to reimagine the space without feeling overtly ‘new’, or blowing the budget.

Owners Will and Holly – who works at creative agency Howatson + Company – enlisted the help of Studio Joan in hopes of turning their ‘tired’ terrace into a place they and their two teenage kids would be excited to host parties in. And for Studio Joan founder and interior designer Tegan Joan Klusenberg, this meant drawing on Holly’s personal style for inspiration.

‘The moment I met Holly I could immediately see how cool her style was,’ Teagan says. ‘She has lots of mid-century inspired pieces, so it was important that everything worked in a kind of eclectic but clean way.

‘The budget wasn’t huge, so I had to be clever about materiality over joinery details and create maximum impact without blowing the budget. I wanted there to be a few surprises along the way.’

Working within the home’s existing footprint, they focused on enhancing the property’s functionality, while also adding fun details throughout. A small re-configuration of the upstairs bathroom and laundry helped create a much bigger space that now showcases Holly’s favourite colour of olive green in the floor-to-ceiling tiles. Similarly, they elevated the kitchen by using Carrara stone and more olive-green contrasts, painting the joinery in Dulux Paris Creek.

Their collection of artwork, rugs and trinkets also influenced the interiors. The new pink bathroom was originally designed to be more muted, but wound up being a candy-coloured, ‘Acne pink’ as a reference to the fashion label’s bag that features in the living room’s Dina Broadhurst photograph.

‘We really wanted that space to be like a little jewellery box that you opened and it was unexpected,’ Teagan says. ‘The bathroom is under the stairs, so we ended up tiling the whole thing, floor, walls, ceiling… it is such a great space!’

New crazing paving and a built-in bench seat created an intimate space for entertaining in the backyard, while landscaping by Trend Landscapes refreshed the sunny courtyard.

Teagan says the renovation now reflects the family’s creativity and love for entertaining: ‘It works as a backdrop for their amazing items but also is strong enough to be exciting on its own.’