Liana Shaw-Taylor, senior designer at Tone Studio, and James Shaw-Taylor, creative director for digital signage company Mandoe, spent years living in Sydney’s inner-eastern suburbs, but always knew they’d move north to Wahroonga to raise a family.
After missing out on a nearby property at auction, Liana came across another house probably out of their price range, that she decided to inspect anyway.
‘I walked in and fell in love with the elevated view from the lounge. The trees! The quiet! We offered the owners an amount before the auction and they accepted! Couldn’t believe it,’ she says.
Liana and James engaged interior designers Tom Mark Henry to contemporise the space, without detracting from the home’s original mid-century sensibilities. Special attention was paid to maintaining original features such as the timber panelled ceilings and fabulous metal support beams throughout, and repurposing materials wherever possible. For instance, bricks salvaged on site were painstakingly cleaned by the family, to re-use for a modest new extension which now accommodates a new main bedroom and en suite.
