1914 Cottage | Bellevue Hill

A 1914 Federation cottage, much loved but stripped of most of its period character over a century of alterations.
The brief was to expand the footprint for a growing family while putting back what had been lost.

Working carefully within the existing heritage framework, a considered mix of modern and traditional materials creates a home that stays true to its Federation roots while delivering the ease contemporary family living requires. The result is a layered interior that balances restored character detailing with a calm, modern sensibility throughout.

Original ceilings were restored by hand and picture rails reinstated. Oak herringbone floors and custom white timber windows run through every room, linking the classic front of the house to the raked, light-filled rear, where three-metre timber doors open straight onto the garden.

This project is part of a staged renovation that began in 2017, with Phase III scheduled for completion at the beginning of 2027.

Deliverables

_DA Woollahra Council

_ Interior Design and Detailing

_ Interior Architecture

_Building Design

_ Finishes and Fittings Selection

_ Joinery Design

_Procurement
_Project Management
_Site Co-Ordination with the builder throughout the renovation

PHOTOGRAPHY
David Bird

STYLING & FURNITURE
Inera Studio

Bellevue Hill, NSW | Residential Interior Design & Building Design 2017 - 2026

Kitchen island with a timber top and white stools under a raked ceiling, beside French doors to the garden

Kitchen sink under white timber windows with smoked glass pendants, navy cabinetry and French doors to the garden

A kitchen built to last, not to date. Navy joinery and an oak benchtop sit easily against the Federation bones of the house. Three-metre timber doors open the entire rear wall, so the garden is not a view from the kitchen; it is part of it. This is the experience the client wanted & the room was designed for this.

Open plan living under a raked ceiling, with a white gallery stair, navy joinery and a smoked glass pendant

The roof was raised only over the rear addition, leaving the cottage proportions at the front untouched. Behind it, a high raked ceiling opens over the kitchen, dining and living space, with three metre double glazed timber doors by Shamrock Joinery running out to the garden

Living room seen from above, with herringbone timber floors, French doors, a grey rug and two Vizslas by the stair

Open plan kitchen and stair under a raked ceiling with smoked glass pendant lights in a Federation cottage by Inera Studio

Family room with French doors folded open to the garden, a grey rug and the stair beyond

Sofa, side table and grey rug on herringbone timber floors, seen from above

Dining room in a 1914 Federation cottage with a timber table, woven pendants and French doors to the garden

Dining room in a 1914 Federation cottage with Wood Smoke walls, woven pendants and French doors

The house had been stripped of its period detail, so much of this room is restoration.
The 1914 fibrous plaster ceiling was repaired by hand, traditional picture rails reinstated throughout, and walls
painted in Porter's Paints Wood Smoke. New French doors open the room to the garden.

Dining room with a timber table, leather sling chairs and woven pendants beside doors to the garden

Dining room with Porter’s Paints Wood Smoke walls below the picture rail and a reeded glass sliding door

Lounge with herringbone floors, arched reeded glass doors by Shamrock Joinery and a restored plaster ceiling

Lounge fireplace with a carved mantel, below a restored fibrous plaster ceiling and cornice in a Federation cottage.

Lounge in a 1914 Federation cottage with arched reeded glass doors to the office, herringbone floors and a green sofa

Lounge with a green sofa, leather butterfly chair and marble fireplace under a restored fibrous plaster ceiling

Custom arched timber doors by Shamrock Joinery, glazed in reeded glass. Closed, they become an architectural feature in the lounge. Open, they're the way into the office

Living room, heritage renovation by Inera Studio, with cowboy prints, a butterfly chair, and horsehair ceiling

The bathroom before this was 1950s green and pink, terrazzo and a pink tub. This one is new, but it takes its colour from what was originally in its place: plain encaustic tiles in soft green and off-white, adding tonal variation throughout, and a custom timber window in reeded glass for privacy on a tight boundary.

Bath set in soft green encaustic tiles beneath a custom timber window in reeded glass

Bathroom in soft green and off-white encaustic tiles, with a timber vanity, stone top and reeded glass window

The room is long and narrow, so the planning did most of the work. The Bath was set under the window, with the shower running next to it; the vanity and storage held tight to one wall so the floor reads as a single uninterrupted run. The quartzite benchtop is chosen for durability in a bathroom that takes daily family use.

Stone vanity with a ceramic vessel basin, wall-mounted tap and timber-framed mirror cabinet above.

Veined quartzite stone bath ledge and recessed niche, curving around the bath edge

Bathroom with a timber vanity and stone top, looking through to the bath, shower and reeded glass window.

Girls bedroom at 1914 cottage with a Belarte Studio landscape mural behind a timber bed, cane wall lights, leaning mirror

The brief came from the daughter: it had to feel like a fairytale landscape. A Belarte Studio wallpaper behind the bed does the storytelling, while panelled joinery, brass hardware and cane wall lights keep everything around it quiet and warm.

View through sheer curtains to white panelled joinery with brass half moon handles beside a landscape wallpaper and bed

A Vizsla asleep on the bed beside sheer linen curtains and an open white french doors to a white timber balcony

Fluted open joinery beside a son’s bedroom in Porter’s Paints Dark Newport Blue, in a 1914 Federation cottage

Leather pendant light and terracotta linen striped bedhead in a 1914 Federation cottage boys bedroom

A colour chosen to grow with the client's teenage son rather than something he'll outgrow. Porter's Paints Dark Newport Blue on the walls, custom joinery holding everything he accumulates, period features reinstated and the window replaced to match the rest of the cottage

Painted wardrobe with curved open shelving beside Porter’s Paints Dark Newport Blue walls in a Federation cottage

Built-in window seat under a gabled dormer with a raked lined ceiling and a dog asleep on the cushion

The cathedral ceiling and dormer windows shape the upper level, throwing light and angles into every corner. The nooks they leave behind became the best parts of the house, including a window seat under the gable, a sweet spot to curl up and read.

Upper landing with white balustrade, wide timber floorboards and a plant under the cathedral ceiling

Tadelakt bath under high reeded glass windows, with soft green tile to bath height and white above

Timber vanity with a vessel basin and round mirror under the raked ceiling of the upstairs ensuite

Upstairs ensuite set into the roof, with a tadelakt bath, soft green tile and reeded glass following the ceiling

Recessed shower niche lined in soft green tile, set into white tiled walls

The upstairs ensuite, set into the roof. A tadelakt bath surround runs seamlessly into the walls, with a large dormer window above it and high reeded glass following the rake of the ceiling for light without overlooking. Soft green tile to bath height, white above

Front house Inera Studio, porter paints custom colour front door federation cottage

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