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Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
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Weekly recipes and meal ideas from our favourite cooks, authors and foodies.
Unique travel destinations, design-led accomodation and day trip ideas in Australia and New Zealand.
Australian houses, from architectural masterpieces to suburban family homes, Victorian terraces, mid-century marvels, coastal shacks, city apartments, and everything in between.
Award-winning Australian architecture, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top architects.
Award-winning Australian interior design, inspiring homes, and interviews with Australia’s top designers.
In depth features on Australia’s most beautiful gardens and landscape design.
Studio visits with Australia’s most talented creatives, from artists to architects, ceramicists to stylists, furniture makers to lighting designers.
Studio visits with Australia’s top artists, and unmissable art exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond.
Weekly recipes and meal ideas from our favourite cooks, authors and foodies.
Unique travel destinations, design-led accomodation and day trip ideas in Australia and New Zealand.
Swooon... a beautiful sunshine-filled and somewhat envy inducing Sydney apartment for you today! This beauty belongs to one particularly creative couple - Patrick Johnson of P Johnson Tailors (trending tailor of the moment, I think it would be safe to say?!), and talented interior designer Tamsin Johnson.
Tamsin and Patrick have been here about a year and a half now. 'When we bought the place it was a mess - a bomb site with mould, cobwebs, white ants, the whole bit' says Tamsin. But with a workable floorplan, and an enviable Northfacing position (not to mention that amazing view over Rushcutters Bay!), it wasn't hard to envisage making this place home. The resulting renovation was a dream project for Tamsin, who previously worked at respected Sydney design firm Meacham Nockles McQualter before recently going out on her own.
'We ripped the kitchen out, only to discover white ants, so had to replace the floor boards, which we then painted a gloss white' explains Tamsin. 'This is the problem with old buildings, as soon as you do a little work, you open a can of worms!'. Tamsin and Patrick have actually just finished their bathroom renovation (sadly not complete at the time of this shoot, but well worth a squiz on instagram!), and Tamsin says this was another challenge, where a two week job turned into five due to the discovery of a major plumbing leak. 'It's always worth it in the end' Tamsin says. 'So many new buildings just don't have the charm that these older buildings do, they often feel tinny and temporary, so I suppose you just have to take the baggage these old buildings come with'.
With an antique dealer in the family, Tamsin has a keen eye for unique and eclectic details, and her home is full of timeless pieces with a story to tell. 'Everything we own has been collected over time so you get a little attached to every piece. However, being an antique dealer's daughter I know every thing is for sale' says says. 'I once got home as a child to see that Dad had sold my lovely 19th Century French bed to a client. From there I got pretty used to an evolving interior!'
The Audoux Minet chairs in the loungeroom are Tamsin's newest purchase, sourced from an antique dealer Los Angeles. 'You can pick up things so cheap over there, but freight always gets you. When I found out these could be flat packed, they were a sure thing' says says.
Tamsin also loves to collect painted portraits ; there are a number scattered throughout the apartment, and also displayed at the P Johnson Paddington showroom, displayed on what Patrick calls the 'wall of legends'! 'It's a constant game between us, I bring the portraits home, and he takes them back to the showroom' says Tamsin of this growing collection.
There's a lot to love about this enviable two bedroom home. That sparkly bay view is so dazzling (for a Melburnian at least!), and the natural light that pours through the place in the afternoon is a huge part of this apartment's appeal. 'It's also a really easy place to live' says Tamsin. 'We wanted to create a very relaxed space, full of character but still low key and easy to live in. It's a reflection of our lives really. Work is intense and non stop, so when we're home, there is no internet, no distractions - its just a nice place to be'.
Huge thanks to Tamsin and Patrick for sharing their home with us today!
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