AUSTRALIAN HOUSE & GARDEN| 183
ATAGLANCE
Who lives hereKim and Vicki Griffiths, former
co-directors of a building company.
Renovation durationFour months.
DesignerStewart Horton, Horton & Co Design,
New Lambton, NSW;
(02) 4957 1672 or http://www.
hortonandco.com.au.
Building workBy owners,
using local trades.
Size pre-renovation
200m².
Size post-renovation
206m².A
timberstaircasethatlookedasthoughitwas
straight out of theBrady Bunchhouse was one
ofanumberoforiginalfeaturesthatappealedto
VickiandKimGriffithswhentheyinspectedthis1960s
hilltop house in Newcastle, NSW. The two-storey house,
with exterior vertical cladding in western red cedar, had
barely been touched since 1968, the year it was built:
theoriginalkitchen,bathroomsandwallpaperswere
all part of the package. “We could see it had good bones
underthedrapery,”saysVicki.
These bones included 3m-high square-set ceilings,
original timber floorboards, large-scale rooms and a
floatinggangwayatthetopofthestairs.“Itwasquite
grandandwelovedthevibe,butit needed to be brought
into the present,” says Vicki.
Cue local interior designer Stewart Horton, whose
work Vicki had previously noticed and admired. For his
part,Stewartwasexcitedbythepreservedinteriors.
“Theflooringandjoinerywasstunningandincludeda
timberwallinthemainbedroomthathadaconcealed
doorway to the wardrobe and ensuite,” he says. “The
househadagreataesthetic.”
Thegreatestchallengewasthecentrallyplaced
kitchen, which was poky and dark. To remedy this,
Stewartextendedtherearwallofthehomeafewmetres,
creatingamassivedouble-sidedgalleywithagenerous
island bench. He also refitted the bathrooms and
refurbishedeveryspaceinthehouseusingastylish
paletteofblack,whiteandtantocomplementthevintage
andscaleoftheinteriors.“Ichosematerialsandcolours
to suit the strong a rchitectu ral st yle,” he says. >LIVINGThe view from theliving room through to the dining
room. “The househad alot of timber in it.Rather than shy
away from that, I embraced it,” says interior designer Stewart
Horton.“Iusedwarmtones–gold,caramelandtan–to
accentuate the timber’s warmth.” These hues are offset by the
useofblack,aresponsetothe“hardlinesandboldshapesof
the original architecture”. The curtains are Marley in Ivory from
Warwick Fabrics. The rug is from Greg Natale’s New Modern
collection with Designer Rugs. Armchair and coffee table,
James Said. Sofa, Globe West. Artwork by James Drinkwater
(left) and Nicole Chaffey.For Where to Buy, see 224.