This blue-tiled heated pool with automatic in-floor cleaning looks after itself.
Credit:Jennifer Soo
The house
A Federation-style brick bungalow built in the early 1900s in Henley, the smallest suburb in Australia, on the Parramatta River in Sydney.
Who lives here
Anthea Azzi, a lawyer and teacher, Ron Azzi, an engineer, their daughters Zara-Claire, 19, and Mia, 17, both students, and Lou Lou the cavoodle.
What we did
The family added a new wing, comprising the kitchen and living room, to the back of the house. “We also put on a second storey you can’t see from the front,” says Anthea.
Our favourite room
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The living room, which overlooks the garden and pool, boasts an “abundance of natural light” created by floor-to-ceiling glass doors. Saving on excavation costs by elevating the space to fit the block’s slope had an unexpected bonus – a view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The ’hood
Henley is home to native wildlife, including blue-tongue lizards and brush turkeys. “You feel nestled away, but at the same time there is easy access to the action of the city.”
Future plans
To improve the front access with a rustic sandstone path.
Best advice
“Complement the natural elements of your property,” says Anthea. “Water features are calming and attractive and an internal courtyard is like an outdoor room that is functional year-round.”
The living room overlooks the internal courtyard with a distant Harbour Bridge view. The doors enable cooling cross-breezes. Apple sculpture by Rob Bearup.Credit:Jennifer Soo
The new wing and second storey, only visible from the rear. The courtyard and structural bricks are the same, giving the effect of a vista of sandstone and clay.Credit:Jennifer Soo
Anthea in the “heart of the home”. The island bench has a Laminam
porcelain top and the Ilve stove sits within the kitchen’s original hearth. Credit:Jennifer Soo
This room embraces original features such as leadlight windows, pressed metal ceilings and wooden fireplace surrounds. The hearth was hidden beneath old lino. Credit:Jennifer Soo
The vestibule shows the elevation of the new wing of the house and also the use of the same bricks on both floors and walls. The framed photograph is by Slim Aarons.Credit:Jennifer Soo
The bathroom tiles were specifically chosen and oriented to reflect light. Credit:Jennifer Soo
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