L
ooking for a new home in
2011,HayleyMorrisfellfor
theArtDecocharmsof
this 1920s apartment in a
leafy bayside suburb in
Sydney’s east. “It was the very first
apartment I saw,” says Hayley. “I was instantly enamoured.”
It was in excellent condition – all original features were intact
and the kitchen and bathrooms had been recently renovated.
The decor, however, was a bit of a hotchpotch. “It was in that
’80s style, with each room in a different colour – green, blue,
rust, yellow and beige,” she says.
Hayley began reshaping the apartment by repainting the
walls white throughout and restaining the floors. To better suit
her lifestyle, she repurposed two of the four bedrooms: one into
a formal dining room, another into a study.
Walls and floors refreshed, Hayley approached designer and
stylist Kate Nixon,H&G’s interiors editor and director of Busatti
Studio, to imbue the apartment with grace and style befitting
its heritage. “We discussed the importance of reflecting the
Art Deco character of the building while keeping a clean and
elegant layout,” says Hayley. “I guess you could call the brief
‘heritage with a twist’.”
The first stage of the makeover, begun in late 2013, was to
finesse the main and guest bedrooms. “We designed new
upholstered bedheads, which informed the scheme in each
room,” says Kate. “The aim was to create spaces that felt like
sanctuaries – calming, with a timeless elegance.”
Next, Kate and Hayley turned their attention to the living
room. The room’s central location makes it the natural heart
of the home and Hayley nominates it as the place she alwaysgravitates to when relaxing. “It’s
the centre of the apartment with
direct access to the main bedroom,
kitchen and terrace, but it’s also
where I store my indulgences such
as books and music,” she says. “I
love nothing more than curling up on the sofa and looking out
at the trees beyond the terrace.”
Keeping largely within a palette of soft neutrals, Kate built
the decor up in layers, beginning with statement lighting and
ending with window treatments, all subtly referencing the
apartment’s pedigree. A dramatic artwork by Dale Frank was
chosen as the focal point; the room’s accent colours are picked
out from its green and blue hues.
Transforming one of the bedrooms into a formal dining room
was a trickier proposition. To give it a point of difference from
the bedrooms and enhance the feeling of grandeur, Kate painted
the room a soothing dove grey and added decorative wood
panelling to the walls. A new Art Deco-inspired crystal and
chrome pendant light hangs above the dining table as though
it has always been there. The existing window seat, meanwhile,
was reupholstered in a soft linen-cotton; it’s a lovely place to
linger after dinner. “The dining room has undergone the most
significant transformation in the apartment and it is exquisite,
with a wonderful sense of occasion,” says Hayley.
Kate says Hayley’s great sense of style provided much of the
inspiration for the decorating scheme. “I love it when the interior
of a home truly reflects the owner’s personality, and this one
does. It is the epitome of elegance and an oasis of calm.” >
Busatti Studio,DoubleBay, NSW; (02) 9363 4318 or
http://www.busattistudio.com.au.HOUSES HG
AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN| 121