W
ithitsdazzlingwhite-
paintedfacadedraped
inbougainvillea,cactus
andtallpalmtreesjust
visibleoverthefence,
thismid-centuryhouseinSydney’seast
couldeasilybelocatedinCalifornia. And
thatisexactlywhattheowner,health-club
entrepreneurMarcelloJimenez,wanted.
WhenMarcelloboughtthethree-storey
house– oncetheCambodianconsulate– in
2014,it wasverydated,withdarktimber
floors,anenclosedkitchenand 1980 s
decor.Butthebeautyofthe 1950 s design,
byrenownedSydneyarchitect Douglas
Snelling,shonethrough.
Marcellosayshisvisionwasto“LA-ify”
theproperty.“It’snota FrankLloydWright
housebyanymeans,butbetweenthehome
andthegarden,it hada veryPalmSprings
feel.”Heengagedinteriorarchitect/
designer Romy Alwill, principal of AlwillInteriors,fortheproject.“I thinkthehouse
waslackingfocusand,asa result,soul,”
saysRomy.“Therewasplentyofspace but
it hadn’tbeenwellallocated.”
Thegroundfloorcontainsa sitting
room,adjoiningbedroomsforMarcello’s
twochildren– daughterArie,eight,and
sonSol,five– a familybathroom,anda
largeopen-plankitchen/dining/living
roomwithviews over the pool and to the
citybeyond.
Thelower-groundfloorislargelythe
children’sdomain.Thegenerousfamily
roomiscurrentlyfurnishedcomfortably
yetpracticallyforplaytime.Marcellohas
plansfora circularleathersofa,buthe’s
waitingfortherighttime.“Thekidsare
stillyoungandI’mparticular,soit’sfine
as it is for now,” he says. There is alsoa>