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It didn’t take much for artist Eliza Fugar and music producer/artist James Christowski to fall in love with this light-filled Art Deco apartment in Manly.
‘People often talk about the “feel” of a place, and for us, that feeling was palpable from the moment we walked in,’ Eliza says of her first impressions.
‘It felt warm and inviting, with a sense of history and character that made it easy to imagine ourselves living there.’
If that wasn’t enough, the 1940s building is appropriately named Frangipani — after the huge frangipani tree that blossoms over the building in summer. The fact that it was located near some of the Northern Beaches’ best nature walks and swimming spots was the cherry on top.
To enhance the home’s great bones and charming detailing, Eliza and James undertook a swift three-month renovation, focusing largely on the bathroom, kitchen, and opening up the connection between the living zones.
‘We love entertaining and wanted the home to feel welcoming, relaxed and designed around bringing people together,’ Eliza says.
Perhaps most importantly, at 70 square metres, the apartment had just enough space for the creative couple’s eclectic art collection — masterfully styled by Eliza, who also works as a curator and a high school visual arts teacher.
‘I’m very attuned to colour, texture, composition and the emotional quality of objects and spaces,’ Eliza says of her diverse creative practices. ‘I also love the unexpected combinations that can emerge when you allow things to exist together intuitively.
In the cosy living room, the fireplace is framed with built-in shelves, showcasing tactile ceramics and trinkets, while the couple’s record player and a pastel-pink painting by Emily Ebbs both take pride of place.
‘All of the artworks in our home have a sentimental story attached to them,’ she adds.
‘For our wedding, our friends gifted us a Remy Faint artwork, beautifully composed of layered textiles over a silk painting.’
Another treasured piece is the paper lamp by local Sydney designer Lana Launay, gifted from Eliza’s family, while her brother also handcrafted the timber table in the dining room.
The apartment’s Art Deco flair still shines through too, captured in the original light pendants, architraves, and in the sunroom, which has been repurposed as Eliza’s art studio.
‘Our fondest memories have been lounging in the living room with friends, drinking coffee in the morning while the sun beams in and music plays,’ she says.
‘It’s a space that invites a certain kind of ease; long conversations in the mornings that linger, with nowhere in particular to be.’
