When Kerrie-Ann Jones and her husband bought this house on a subdivided block in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, it still retained many of its original retro features.

‘It was in original condition, complete with silver disco wallpaper for the dining room, yellow and kitchen, and a cobalt blue bathroom,’ says Kerrie-Ann.

As gorgeous as the retro details were, most of the interior was rotten with water damage, meaning Kerrie-Ann had to strip almost all of it back to basics. This was the first project Kerrie-Ann had ever attempted as an owner-builder, and she jumped in head first – with help from her dad and carpenter Nick David of ND Built. 

First up, Kerrie-Ann made some significant changes to the layout (swapping a room or two there, expanding the main bedroom), and she also prioritised restoring the exterior facade. 

Next, it was time to devise a fresh new material palette and styling scheme, from the ground up. 

‘I designed the interiors with bespoke details, like curved edges for the kitchen island, rangehood and fireplace,’ Kerrie-Ann explains. 

‘It’s texture-rich with materials such as the walnut veneer in the kitchen and the use of various stone materials in the kitchen, living room fireplace and bathroom’ she elaobrates. ‘I like to layer textures yet stay within a warm neutral colour palette. I’ve curated our home to be layered, with a mix of vintage and contemporary furniture and art collected over the years.’

The culmination of this careful, textured layering is the palladiana-style mosaic floor in the bathroom, made from large marble offcuts.

‘I had the idea about three years ago. I have seen it done on a small scale but rarely using large pieces,’ says Kerrie-Ann. ‘It took six months to find a tiler and stoner polisher who was willing to do the job!’

But so totally worth it! We’d go so far as to say it’s the pièce de résistance in this dreamy family pad!

Kerrie-Ann teaches her own interior styling course, available here. 

Listen to House of Style podcast here.