27/05/2026
How do you renovate a 1920s home without erasing it?
This is the question that shaped Light House — a Rose Bay bungalow with beautiful bones and a layout that no longer worked for the family living in it. Dark, disjointed, with a staircase in the wrong place and a back garden you could only reach through the laundry.
Here’s how we approached it, and what you can take from it for your own home:
Start with what’s worth keeping. The sandstone, terracotta and timber detailing told us what the house wanted to be. We worked with the essence of the 1920s home rather than fighting it.
Reconfigure before you extend. We didn’t add square metres. We removed the wall between the kitchen and living, relocated the staircase, and added doors out to the garden. The plan does the work.
Use textured glass intentionally. Fluted and rippled glass creates privacy between rooms and from neighbours without sacrificing light. It also softens the geometry of a space in a way clear glass can’t.
Don’t underestimate external louvres. In an Australian climate, they do the heavy lifting on heat and privacy. Curtains can only do so much.
Repeat one detail throughout. Curves — in the balastrade, the arched doors, the rangehood — give a home cohesion without needing a unified style.
Design for how you actually live. A butler’s pantry adjacent to the kitchen. A laundry built for a revolving door of guests. The brief should always start with the family, not the floor plan.
For the full video home tour head to my YouTube channel
