Today’s home tour is a stylish mix of classic heritage architecture and modern North American farmhouse style. It’s not a blend of design styles we see very often but I’m sure you’ll agree with us — it works!
Courtney Atkinson and Marissa Hamling are the Directors and Lead Interior Designers and Bone and Blanc Interiors who very kindly took us for a look around Parkway Residence.
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When a heritage home gets a modern makeover, we always love seeing how a designer marries old with new!
“Parkway Residence is located in Newcastle in New South Wales and is home to a family of 4,” Courtney explains. “It’s a close walk to the beach and situated in a heritage listed area.
“The home owners wanted to keep as many heritage aspects of the home. They were keen to keep its character while still blending seamlessly with the old and ‘new’ sections of the house.
“It’s a 4 bedroom home with a main bathroom, ensuite, front sitting room and an open plan living, kitchen and dining space.
“The purpose of the renovation was to extend the home and provide them with more useable space for them to enjoy as a family.”
The kitchen is quite clearly the statement feature of this home, with a strong North American farmhouse influence.
“There’s no question about it, the kitchen is the showstopper,” smiles Marissa. “The large custom pantry doors are the ultimate wow factor and something you notice as soon as you enter the space.
“We loved working on the kitchen as it truly is the heart of the home and where the family spends most of their time.
“In terms of style, we used the modern North American farmhouse as our inspiration. It allowed us to seamlessly blend the old with the new and revive the period features of the home.”
When blending a heritage home with a modern extension, there are often challenges that arise.
“This home had so many gorgeous original features that both the home owner and we were keen to salvage. The front of the home, which is original, features amazing high ceilings with ornate cornice and ceiling details. It has beautiful large skirting boards, stained glass doors and an original fireplace.
“We kept all of these details and just revived them with paint. All of the internal doors were detailed, and we replicated these into the new part of the home so it felt consistent.
“One of the biggest challenges we encountered was the flooring. Part of the renovation was an extension out the back which meant the original floorboards were not going to match the new ones,” Marissa explains.
“The home owners didn’t want to cover the original floorboards, but we knew this was going to be necessary to ‘seamlessly’ blend the old with the new.
“In the end, we compromised! We kept the old floorboards but stained them very dark so you can barely tell there were two different flooring types. In the end it worked out beautifully as the floors still feel worn and heritage.”
Photography — Katie Wade Studio
Builder — Build Art Projects
Joinery — Urban Joinery
Thank you to Bone and Blanc Interiors for taking us around this heritage meets modern North American farmhouse. What do you think of the blend between old and new? Which is your favourite feature — ours is definitely that stunning black framed fluted glass pantry door, stunning!
To discover more Bone and Blanc Interiors projects, take a look at their website or get some inspo from their Instagram feed.
More interior tours here
