ROOMS
Relaxed living The floorboards were
re-stained during the kitchen renovation
phase as new sections of flooring had to be
laid. The first attempt didn’t turn out well but
Abacus Flooring “were amazing and the finish
is excellent”, Lauren says. “The house has
to be very low maintenance and low stress
as all our friends have kids and we love to
entertain.” The Oz Design Furniture velvet sofa
was chosen for durability. The cushions are
from Manyara, the Eggcup stool, Mark Tuckey.
Entrance wow The striking encaustic tiles
on the floor are from Tiles By Kate. “We have
tried to give the house a bit more character
and decided to do encaustic mosaic tiles in the
entrance as it was quite bland,” Lauren says.LAUREN TOCCHINI GREW UP in a home
with an open-door policy on Sydney’s
Northern Beaches, where friends and
family were always welcome. When she
started her own family, this was the type
of place she wanted to create.
When Lauren returned to the area with
her English husband Jesse Stephens, after
a decade of living in London, the couple
surprised themselves with their timing- in June 2013 they not only found a great
1970s, five-bedroom brick home, with
a pool, but it was also at an excellent price.
The vendors were heading overseas and
were prepared to accept a lower price for
the house than they had paid seven years
prior. While the house had undergone
a basic renovation, changes were on the
cards. “We wanted to live in it for a year
before making any big decisions about
renovations, which was good as it became
very clear quite quickly that the layout
didn’t work,” Lauren explains.
MAKING A HOME While the house
was liveable for their young family, which
includes four-year-old son Raffy, the
couple soon learnt that one of the most
important areas to them – the kitchen - didn’t function well. It was a “dead zone”,
and when guests were visiting, they never
seemed to know where to stand or sit.
For a family who love to entertain, this
was somewhat problematic. A
STYLE STEAL
PATTERNED FLOOR TILES
UP THE CHARACTER FACTOR
OF A SIMPLE ENTRYWAY
real living
real living