Darlinghurst house tour on AT

Just a little note to say my shots of the wonderful Darlinghurst apartment we were lucky enough to house-sit Sydney have been turned into a house tour on Apartment Therapy! You guys have seen all the shots but might want to visit to read a little more detail about the home...

Just clarifying also that the owners of the apartment are close friends of ours, and of course granted me permission to take and upload these shots! AT readers seems very concerned about this...! I was a little taken aback at some of their comments :)

Anyway, you guys know me better than that!

Sydney Home - Tamarama House

Whilst in Sydney last week I received an email from Melbourne reader Anthea, who put me in touch with her sister Tina in Sydney... I think her words were "She's got an amazing house in Tamarama by the beach... and she's a bit of a design tragic too, she'd be able to give you cook's tour of design shopping in Sydney!"... or something along those lines! Anyway, curiosity got the better of me, so of course I got in touch with Tina and arranged to meet!

Tina gave me so many great suggestions of design shops to see in Sydney (Surry Hills Shopping Guide to come!), and was also kind enough to show me her beautiful home so I could take some shots to share.

I hope you enjoy these photos of Tina's gorgeous home. Thanks so much to Tina (and Anthea) for getting in touch, and for letting a complete stranger with a camera into your home!

light-filled loungeroom, featuring a beautiful collection of original artwork

I loved this little window seat area. Also love the modern hammock-style chair Tina bought from a local young designer

5 Eames black plywood chairs encircle the frosted glass dining table

Tina said she wanted to design her bathroom to look like a hotel bathroom. Mission accomplished! Love the slick marble finishes and those gorgeous, generous sash windows.

more lavish bathroom details

Tina's understated bedroom with a feature wall of ornate wallpaper in aqua/bronze tones behind the bed, dark floorboards, classic white walls and blinds, and that gorgeous Eames rocker in the corner! Lovely vibrant touch.

I loved this unique hall runner! A great contrast to the white walls and dark / floorboards. I would never have thought to use a chequered style like this but it works so well!

Tina's second bedroom, entirely wallpapered in silver 'Horses Stampede' wallpaper by Florence Broadhurst. So brave! Love it.

wallpaper detail

A stack of stuff in the second bedroom. Those tram/bus scrolls are a little bit everywhere but I do still love them. Wish I has 'styled' this shot a little more! Was rushing a bit at this stage but in retrospect I wish I'd removed that hand-towel on the left!

The rear of the house

The lush back garden - it was a wet day.... on a clearer day the view would have been amazing...

Front entrance

Sydney home - Republic 2 apartment

striking glass and ceramic vases by Italian designer Ettore Sottsass.

Due to popular demand... Some shots of the stunning apartment in Darlinghurst's Republic 2 Apartment building by Sydney architects Burley Katon Halliday, which we were lucky enough to house-sit last week. As usual I am frustrated by the 500px width limit of this layout, therefore I have uploaded most of the wide-shots at around 8oopx - double click to see a larger version!

Ahhh too beautiful. A big thankyou to our very generous friends for letting us stay! Don't they have the most impeccable taste you've ever seen? Also should mention that most of the timber furniture you see in the apartment was custom-made by my very talented (and very modest) partner Gordon Johnson. That's the dining table and benches, pretty much all the white shelving and drawer units, the kids beds and storage systems, entertainment unit etc.

Anyway, as you can imagine, arriving home yesterday was somewhat of a disappointment. ;)


The wonderful light-filled living area, featuring the beautiful B&B Italia couch and Cassina's Le Corbusier LC2 leather/chrome armchair on the right-hand wall.

Solid timber dining table and benches in Tasmanian Oak by Gordon Johnson, Le Corbusier cane chairs at either end from Thonet.

Vintage butterfly chairs on the balcony - available in Melbourne from Angelucci 20th Century and in Sydney from Ken Neale's Twentieth Century Modern.

On coffee table - Alessi's Cohncave Bowl by Australian designer Susan Cohn, and Thames and Hudson's beautiful The Way We Live interiors book by Stafford Cliff and photographer Gilles De Chabeneix.

view of the pool area from the balcony

Reading corner featuring a vintage Antonio Citterio Diesis Chaise (B&B Italia, available new from Space Furniture).

Vertical drawer unit in gloss white two pack finish by Gordon Johnson

Kitchen - stainless surfaces and splashback.

Bedroom details featuring delicate trinket dishes by Karin Eriksson (available in Australia at Space Furniture). Also scattered throughout the apartment are sweet-smelling French Diptych candles, available in Melbourne at Manon Bis, 568 Malvern Road Hawksburn.

Bathroom detail. Slate-grey tiles cover floor and all walls, chrome laundry basket, pale grey towels from Country Road. Aesop handwash and moisturier (beautiful stuff).

Child's bed and storage system by Gordon Johnson

Baby's room - modular shelving unit by Gordon Johnson.