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A Vintage Farmhouse On Sydney’s Upper North Shore
Homes
The front verandah. Exterior painted in Dulux Antique White U.S.A. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
The daybed nook was created to be a ‘nice area to tuck yourself away and read, flip through a magazine with a cup of tea, or comfortably consult the cookbooks for dinner time prep’, says Alex. Walls in Dulux Natural White. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Homeowner Alexandra Nea Graham. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Alex replaced the old, damaged cypress pine flooring with the same timber on a wider board. Vintage 1950s Oushak rug from Tigmi Trading. Antique luggage trunk from Mitchell Road Antique and Design Centre. Original 1950s Hans Wegner armchair with House of Heras cushion. Vintage cane daybed, vintage side table and dresser all family pieces. Walls in Dulux Natural White. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Tigercane plant stool from Mitchell Road Antique and Design Centre. Antique French sideboard from Miguel Meirelles Antiques. Walls in Dulux Natural White. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Alex designed the kitchen herself. Joinery by Concept Design Kitchen and Joinery. Doors by Farmers Doors. Antique kitchen chandeliers from Elements I Love. Sika Design Rossini dining chairs from DOMO. Kitchen painted in Dulux Miller Mood. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Joinery by Concept Design Kitchen and Joinery. Carrara Marble benchtop from WK Stone. Handles from Hepburn Hardware. Lacanche cooker from Malcolm St James. Kitchen painted in Dulux Miller Mood. Rangehood painted in Dulux Natural White. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Alex designed the kitchen herself. Joinery by Concept Design Kitchen and Joinery. Doors by Farmers Doors. Antique kitchen chandeliers from Elements I Love. Kitchen painted in Dulux Miller Mood. Rangehood painted in Dulux Natural White. Rangehood custom-made to Alex’s design. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
The en suite. Floor tiles by Jatana Interiors. Bath from Victoria and Albert. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
The green feature wall tiles in the ensuite from Ammonite Living. Vanity is the Sergio Buffet in Mindi Antique finish from Empire Home. Green onyx basin from Marble and Ceramic Corp. The Antique art deco light shades were a 21st birthday present Alex received. Hollywood Regency vintage vanity chair from eBay. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
The laundry features Alchemist in Primrose Bevel gloss tiles from Di Lorenzo Tiles. Splashback tiles from Jatana Interiors. Ceramic butlers sink from eBay. Artwork tiles by Jai Vasicek. Cabinet colour, Dulux Miller Mood. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
The powder room also features Alchemist in Primrose Bevel gloss tiles from Di Lorenzo Tiles. Custom hand painted silk wallpaper from Esty Shanghai that Alex installed herself! Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
A vintage floral painting hangs above a cane chair in the main bedroom. Wall painted in Dulux Silver Tea Set. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Bedhead from Temple & Webster (‘I stained it a darker timber colour to match my bedsides,’ says Alex). 1920s French opaline wall sconces from 1stdibs. Wall painted in Dulux Silver Tea Set. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
‘When I was trying to decide what colour we wanted the house to be, I drew up a sketch of the front of it, then replicated it many times over and started to colour all sorts of options as I thought them up,’ explains Alex. ‘I did the same when designing the kitchen and bathrooms and all the windows and doors… many many sketches to bring this build to life.’ Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Alex framed her collection of antique silk embroidered squares for her studio wall. She picked up the vintage desk from her neighbour’s ‘clean out’. Walls in Dulux Natural White. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Stool from Provincial Home Living. Vintage meat safe used for storage. 1950s dressmakers bust and head found in a Newtown council cleanup. Walls in Dulux Natural White. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
Alex’s botanical sketches. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
The pool area features beautiful retro umbrellas from Issimo. Mid-century original wrought iron chairs from Collectika. Cream chair pads from Ikea and pink stripe cushions from Country Road. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
‘We decided to go with a darker green internal pool finish to best mirror and blend into the beautiful towering gums that surround the house. Blowing the budget to tile the whole pool was the best decision we made in this area as it gives the feel of a tranquil resort-like lagoon (and hides the gum leaf stains very well!)’, explains Alex. Photo – Alisha Gore for The Design Files. Styling – Tess Thyregod
The view onto the front verandah. Photos – Alexandra Nea
Left: An historic photo of the original 1950s home. Right: The home pre-renovation. . Photos – supplied
The home pre-renovation. Photos – supplied
Illustrator Alexandra Nea Graham has always wanted to live in a country farmhouse with a sweeping verandah, decorative fretwork, and a rose garden.
This 1950s timber cottage in South Turramurra was far from perfect, but she could immediately see its potential. Alex made an offer on the house before her husband James Webb had even seen it (!) and began drawing her dream renovation.
Alex was a fashion designer for 10 years. As well as founding her own label, she worked for Ted Baker, Collette Dinnigan, and Gail Elliott, but she’s always loved interior design.
After two years of sketching her ideas, Alex called on Paul Wilsher, who designed their previous home renovation in Newtown. He was able to navigate strict planning regulations and council approvals before building with Riverside Building and Design commenced in September 2021.
The initial plan was to renovate the house within its original timber framework, but the existing walls proved too damaged to retain. ‘This was a blow not only to the budget, but to the fact I had wanted to renovate not demolish the whole house,’ said Alex.
As a result, essentially everything from the floor up was rebuilt—albeit with plenty of reclaimed materials, to retain the ‘country farmhouse’ feel. ‘We worked with the foundations, kept all the original windows and built them back into the new framework, and of course kept and extended the chimney for the fireplace,’ says Alex.
A silver lining of the rebuild was the ability to raise the ceiling height. This not only created a more spacious home with that period-style feel, but offered more flexibility for larger recycled features to be installed.
Alex collected these pieces, including antique lights and leadlight windows and doors, over many years. ‘I had started to trawl sites, collecting these pieces as they came up, storing them propped up in our old living room that was quickly becoming like a crowded second hand furniture shop!’ she says. ‘Once I discovered a piece, I would tweak the plan measurements to fit it in, designing around these beauties like they had always been there.’
The home’s material palette is predominantly neutral to allow its reclaimed features to do the talking. Dulux Antique White U.S.A. with Snowy Mountains Half trims feature on the exterior, with Natural White indoors.
The whimsical bathrooms and kitchen are the exception, where Alex has experimented with custom-made hand painted silk wallpaper, antique tiles, and grey/blue cabinetry. ‘I am so thrilled with how the Dulux Miller Mood colour has come up on the doors for the kitchen,’ she says.
The pool area outside provides a final dose of fun and frivolity. The pool itself is fully tiled in a dark green marble, creating a lagoon-like feel and rippling light that reflects into the lounge room. Vintage wrought iron chairs provide a place for lounging under made-to-order pink umbrellas. ‘All I need now is some pink flamingo statues (which yes I am on the hunt for!)’ Alex says.
Alex was heavily involved in the building process, and the home turned out exactly as she envisioned it. Despite seemingly universal delays on materials and labour at the time of building (plus an unplanned rebuild!), the entire project was finished just two weeks over its initial 10-month deadline.
Alex and James with children Sam (9) and Ellie (6) pinch themselves every day looking at the family home they’ve created!
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