Shirley Rd | Vellum Interiors | Sydney Interior Designer and Decorator
Photography by Pablo Veiga

Shirley Rd

Our clients had lived in their Californian Bungalow on Sydney’s North Shore for many years prior to working with us, and had collected and inherited various pieces of furniture over that time. The furniture wasn’t put together in a considered way, for functionality or aesthetics, and so the sitting and dining rooms were hardly used. They were at a loss to know how to configure the rooms to make them more friendly and inviting. They also wanted to update the look and feel to be more contemporary, but also wanted to keep the beautiful heritage details. 

 

In order to achieve what our clients were after, we reconfigured the furniture plan in the sitting room to make it more inviting and conversation-inducing, selected paint colours, lighting, furniture, window treatments, artwork and accessories. The clients were also keen to use colour, and especially liked the idea of a dark blue room, so that was a starting point for the design. The idea evolved into the dining room as the night-time, sophisticated, dramatic space, contrasted with the day-time, light, bright and friendly sitting room which overlooks the front garden. We also used shape and form to contrast the rooms — the dining room uses more angular, straight lines, inspired by the fireplace and double doors, and the sitting room uses lots of circular, organic shapes. The round shapes also reflect the original circular stained glass window in the sitting room.

 

The result is a complete transformation, and two beautiful, joyful rooms. Our clients (and their two schnauzers) absolutely love their new rooms!  

The dining room of a Californian Bungalow on Sydney's North Shore, designed and decorated by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

The dining room of a Californian Bungalow on Sydney's North Shore, designed and decorated by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

The dining room of a Californian Bungalow on Sydney's North Shore, designed and decorated by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

The dining room of a Californian Bungalow on Sydney's North Shore, designed and decorated by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A bar cart in the dining room of a home on Sydney's Upper North Shore designed by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A dining room in a heritage home on Sydney's North Shore with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A dining room in a heritage home on Sydney's North Shore with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A dining room in a heritage home on Sydney's North Shore with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

Looking into the sitting room of a home on Sydney's North Shore with interior design and decoration services by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A beautiful, light sitting / living room with bay windows with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A beautiful, light sitting / living room with bay windows with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A beautiful, light sitting / living room with bay windows with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A beautiful, light sitting / living room with bay windows with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A beautiful, light sitting / living room with bay windows with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A beautiful, light sitting / living room with bay windows with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors
A beautiful, light sitting / living room with bay windows with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

A beautiful, light sitting / living room with bay windows with interior design and decoration by Alex Gourlay of Vellum Interiors

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"Our formal lounge and dining rooms have some lovely period features and are relatively large, but they were mainly unused prior to Alex coming to the rescue. Our existing furnishings, acquired over the years and functional, did not work well as a whole or inspire. With the prospect of retirement ahead and the greater opportunity for leisure, including in and around the home, we wanted a more engaging area for us, our family and friends.


We were at a loss on how best to achieve this and recognised that we needed help, though were both cautious and somewhat conflicted about consulting an interior designer. That was before meeting Alex, and her setting about to achieve an environment combining a fun, contemporary ambiance but also reflecting the integrity and heritage of the house.


Throughout we appreciated Alex’s structured and meticulous approach which gave us the confidence to trust her judgment fully and to commit the necessary resources and effort. At all times Alex was professional, reliable and competent.  She has excellent communication skills, sound project management abilities, and has a wide network of reliable suppliers and support services.  She is clear in her ideas, ethical in her dealings and honest in her advice. And she is a canny shopper.  All our meetings were focused, productive and fun.



We are very happy with the outcome as the rooms now offer a beautiful and elegant enhancement to the house. Our use of these new spaces has been most pleasurable and has brought us a lot of joy, especially as they were completed just prior to the Covid 19 epidemic. Thank you, Alex!"

Barbara & Russell

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