Tamsin and Patrick Johnson
Fashion
16th October, 2013
The Sydney apartment of Tamsin and Patrick Johnson. Fornasetti breakfast table picked up at auction from Shapiro, vintage bentwood chairs, 1950's Italian turquoise pendant with pressed glass shade. Oh, and an AMAZING view to Rushcutters Bay! Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
Audoux Minet chairs, 18th century carved timber trunk from Edward Clark Antiques (Tamsin's Dad's business), white linen sofa from The Country Trader, Tuareg leather and straw mat, Leila Jeffreysbird photograph. Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
Custom pendant light in loungeroom by Melbourne designer Anna Charlesworth (who we have interviewed here!). 'I worked on Anna's own house whilst at Meacham Nockles McQualter, and fell in love with her hand crafted plaster pendants' says Tamsin. The framed embroideries were a wedding present from Tamsin's old bosses - amazing handbeaded artworks on velvet that Don McQualter brought back from India. Solid timber ebonised coffee table, fiddle leaf fig tree, 'alotta books' and a coconut shell lamp! Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
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!
Kitchen - such a beautiful cooking and eating space with the dining room right in the centre. Plywood overhead cupboards, mirrored rangehood which reflects the space, Elba bench tops, black painted timber drawers, antique oak table, vintage Thonet bentwood chairs. Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
Kitchen details - Elba bench tops, antique oak table, vintage Thonet bentwood chairs, Brendan Huntley painting from Tolarno Galleries. Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
Bedroom. Custom bedhead in Etro leopard fabric, Flos lamp, antique portraits, Mahogany table made by Tamsin at wood work classes. 'There are hours of love in each of those table legs' she says - very impressive! Striped floor runner in hallway beyond. Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
Bedroom details. Sisal carpet from Natural Floor Coverings, blinds featuring the original 'Martinique' palm leaf pattern, famously seen in the Beverly Hills Hotel , Chicken painting by Lucy Culliton from Ray Hughes Gallery, French commode, Camel from MCM House, Watermelon stool left behind by Tamsin's good friend, jewellery designer Lucy Folkafter a photoshoot here! Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
Lounegroom looking back to sunroom and the bay beyond. Custom pendant light by Melbourne designer Anna Charlesworth. Fiddle leaf fig tree, Solid timber ebonised coffee table, sofa from The Country Trader, tuareg leather and straw mat. Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
Amazing deck overlooking Rushcutters Bay! Table from Parterre, powder coated chairs from hard rubbish, and some lower lounge chairs in interesting shapes which caught Tamsin's eye! Photo - Sean Fennessy, production - Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.
Love the Leila Jefferies cockie – her newest series in MARS and currently on show at SPACE
Richmond x
Love all the natural light coming from that big arched window in the lounge room – and whatta view!
Anyone know where to find the Martinique fabric? Love those blinds.
This place is just so beautiful. Aside from the strangely configured kitchen (maybe it just looks that way in the pics?) I’d move straight in. Love
Divine. What a duo!
The ebonised solid wood coffee table – superb. On a straw and leather mat, beautiful. This home is lovely and has quite an LA feel… The light, the arch, texture.
Tell me about the elephant foot. Is it real?
Please tell me that Elephant foot is not real… if so gross. Double gross.
I was thinking the home and styling is great until I too saw the Elephant foot. Hoping it’s a sculpture by some amazingly talented artist and not the real thing. How terrible to display if it is.
Love it all enormously, except for the elephant foot. Regardless of where it came from, just evokes too many images of poaching and game for my liking.
love it all. talented duo.
Love the bedroom wall colour – anyone have any suggestions on what colour this is or a match?
What a gorgeous place! We feel you, Tamsin and Patrick, about opening up a can of worms with old buildings and repairs sometimes. We feel like we’re just now closing up some of the bigger projects that our converted warehouse showroom has come with. But so great to get it sorted and love your old gem!
Speaking of gems – your Yuta Badayala pendants in the kitchen look divine! I wish the Indigenous artists could see how fantastic your space looks with the addition of hand-woven lights. Nice one. We love seeing where Koskela pieces end up! // http://www.koskela.com.au/yuta-badayala-pendants/
This home is absolutely lovely but the elephant foot is of great concern to me…
I know you don’t like to judge or make moral statements about people’s homes and feel that your role is to just take pictures of what you think are creative, aesthetically significant homes, but having exotic animal taxidermy featured on this blog definitely promotes it as a decorating trend, creating demand for these pieces. I don’t think people commenting here are necessarily judging the home owners, more voicing the opinion that we’d prefer not to see these items promoted as desirable objects of decoration. It is an active styling and editorial decision to feature pictures showing taxidermy, and given the lack of context provided in the article I can only assume you are ok with trade in taxidermied specimens regardless of their species, origin or age. That’s fine – I guess if taxidermy continues to feature in posts then people can make up their own mind whether to keep subscribing based on how strongly they feel about this issue.
The elephant’s foot is disgusting. It really put me off the apartment. I hope it’s a carving and not real.
The light, antique furniture, view and attention to detail is amazing. But (I hate to say it), the elephants foot is wrong! Who am I to question this I hear you say, but when every other decorating decision in this fantastic apartment is perfection, I am left asking why?
I agree with the others. After seeing the Elephant Foot I felt sick.
I don’t usually comment but now I must.
I agree with Cebec completely and you will be losing my subscription if such posts continue.
Beautiful space – simple and elegant, so liveable.
Love the quirky kitchen configuration, the layout in general, I would live in an old building over a new plumbing perfect new development anytime :)
Have to say, P Johnson Tailors are the most amazing team, so down to earth, approachable and fantastic at what they do. Great post!
Thank you Cebec, you have summed up the argument perfectly. Speaking for myself, I’m not entirely opposed to taxidermy in the home but I think the trade in exotic and protected animals is another thing entirely. The timing of this article is particularly unfortunately due to the recent killing of 81 elephants in Zimbabwe by poachers who poisoned their water source using cyanide (but I suppose others would rejoice at the thought of 324 feet available for purchase in order to add a quirky addition to their home, if this trend caught on again). Artists and designers really do have an opportunity to shape trends through promoting sustainable materials and practice – really worth considering.