Bondi House by Full Of Grace Interiors

Full of Grace Interiors are well versed in design dialogues that fuse heritage elegance with contemporary relevance. In Sydney’s beachside Bondi, the design studio resurrected a stately Victorian terrace to reflect the owners’ hometown of Melbourne and the relaxed beach culture of its locale.

It’s not difficult to imagine Bondi House sitting within one of the tree lines streets of Melbourne’s city fringe. The picturesque double-storey facade in crisp white with black iron lacework detailing and multi-paned windows is reminiscent of many older pockets of Melbourne’s inner-urban built landscape. So when Melbourne-born owners Carl and Kristen approached Therese Carrodus from Full of Grace Interiors with a request to bring out these qualities while slanting them to align with Bondi’s enduring seaside ambience, it was entirely natural.

What has emerged is a family home imbued with its own story. One that nurtures a narrative through distinct and unified chapters – upholding the facade as the central character to tell the story of the home’s lineage and heritage. Equally, the home speaks of a new purpose with a refreshed interior layout and a future-focused approach to colour, light and texture.

The Bondi House’s original layout was unusual. Comprised of numerous ‘dead’ spaces, Full Of Grace Interiors have reconfigured its navigation to introduce both informal and formal living and dining areas, with the addition of a rumpus room, new bathroom, laundry, and guest bedroom. Retaining the original volumes that prevailed in the Victorian era of its construction – high ceilings and a collection of rooms instead of the open-plan concept that came much later – Bondi House now achieves a sense of cohesive space and meandering. Rooms are glimpsed as parts of a larger whole as opposed to singular spaces.

Bondi House is a study in the experience of habitation, championing colour and the poetic repercussion of simple interventions. The cool atmosphere of its ground floor accentuates the home’s coastal context through its aquatic and blond palette and abundance of natural light. A long hallway, classically domestic in its functionality, placement and orientation, leads to an open-plan kitchen and living area, which is wholeheartedly contemporary. The bright haven draws in natural light from a sun-drenched rear garden. Simultaneously, the dining area leans towards a Melbourne-moody atmosphere with deep turquoise hues, banquette seating, fluted glass and black timber detailing.

Hallway artwork ‘Early Morning Fog’ by Theresa Hunt, Flag Halyard Chair by Hans J. Wegner.

The kitchen is a light-flooded heart to the home. Veiled in natural light, striking ice green marble is tempered by natural oak and a direct connection to the informal living space and outdoor terrace beyond.

Bondi House is a rich expression of its owners. Against a backdrop of deep turquoise blue objects, artwork and ceramics are displayed around a beautifully restored original fireplace in the formal zone of the home.

Upstairs, Bondi House yields to a different ambience. Continuing the architectural dialogue of downstairs – the expanses of white walls in transitional spaces, high ceilings, period archways and torrents of natural light – the more private spaces have a measured radiance through blush hues and bold, deep-reds. Various textures are explored from sleek white joinery, intricately scalloped Murano glass wall sconces, confetti furniture accents and the same arresting marble as seen in the kitchen below.

The culmination of the owners’ narrative and Full Of Grace Interior’s heritage-infused contemporary design aesthetic has led to a family home of elegant charm, Melbourne-centric design esteem and composed coastal calm.