A Sydney terrace is transformed into a warm and inviting home filled with glorious antiques 

Story: Jodie Thomson Styling Stephanie Powell Photography Nicky Ryan

So many houses and interiors can be pigeonholed into a particular category: minimal and modern, classic, country or even beach house. Others like Geoff Clarke’s renovated terrace house in inner-city Sydney. Simply defy classification. With its vast, double-height living space and secret sprawl of leafy outdoor living spaces, this uniquely elegant home offers a surprisingly blend of antiques, organic textures and modern design.

As an architectural consultant and antiques dealer, Geoff had a head start when it came to creating something special in the terrace he bought 10 years ago, ripe for renovation. “It was a classic terrace that had been done up in the 1960’s and ‘70s, so we completely rebuilt the rear of the building,” he says. Working with the full height of the house, Geoff created a split-level design, with the main entrance and open-plan living area downstairs, and an upstairs bedroom, bathroom, laundry and study.

A mezzanine walkway on the upper storey heightens the vast sense of space in the main living area, and oversized glass doors, which pivot on hinges, maximise light in the south-facing room. The back garden was origannly an unusable space that fell away steeply to the end of the block, but Geoff has built in a garage and separate apartment out the back and created an extensive private courtyard and pool over the top. “You don’t need big rooms and a whole lot of architectural detail to create a sense of luxury,” Geoff says. “You need volume, and the ceiling height needs to be in proportion to the room.”

Geoff’s slightly academic approach to design and interiors help explain why his unusual mix of styles works so successfully in this house. “Most architecture has a lot of tension about it, and uses hard materials like stainless steel,” Geoff says. “I prefer masonry and softer tones with copper and zinc, which give a calm feeling.”

The materials employed in the interior help create that softness. Creamy limestone imported from France is used throughout, on the internal floors and courtyard, and on the kitchen benches, shelves and walls. Elsewhere, he’s favoured metallic finishes on cabinetry, furniture and architectural details, to add a soft, aged finish.

European antiques sit alongside modern classics and original artworks. Many pieces, like the shell motor oil timber cabinet, Geoff’s had for years, while others he borrows from his antique showroom, The Country Trader in Sydney’s Waterloo, on a more temporary basis.

Geoff’s main priority was always comfort. The sofas are invitingly squishy, the furniture arranged to create personal, cosy spaces. “It’s obviously a contemporary interior, but there’s a lot of warmth and comfort,” he says. “It’s a great party house and transforms easily to cope with big crowds, but there are also many intimate spots where you can cocoon yourself. It’s flexible, and deals with the way I live.”
INSIDE STORY

Who lives here? Geoff Clarke, architectural consultant and owner of Sydney antiques store . The Country Trader.

What was your main design aim? “To generate a sense of luxury through volume rather than footprint.”

How would you define the style of this house? “content. Calm and contemporary, as distinct from modern and aggressive. It’s a home rather than a trophy.”

What inspires your designs? “Basically Europe, and their understanding of classic proportion and detail.”

Which colours do you like to decorate with? “All the colours I tend to use in furniture are believable, natural colours, rather than colours made by man out of chemicals.”

What sort of entertaining do you prefer? “I love to entertain and usually for large crods; I’ll often have around 12 to 20 guests.”  

Do you redecorate constantly or stick to one look? “I do move the house around a lot as well as change elements. I’ve got a picture hanging system, a track suspended on wires, so I can move artworks around without drilling a wall.”

Any advice on creating privacy in the inner city? “Privacy is achieved by view lines, not by sticking a curtain across as a bandaid. If you take that approach, you can get generous indoor/outdoor living in the most dense inner-city locations.”

Pg 22 features:

CABINET The owner of this stunning terrace in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, Geoff Clarke, has a designers knack for combining unusual elements. One of his favourite pieces in the house is this 1820’s Australian cabinet, painted in the 1930’s by famous Australian signwritter George Hughes. “I look at it more like a piece of art,” he says. “It’s the way it’s travelled and what’s happened to it over time.” In the dining area (pg 23), Geoff has matched an 1860’s Italian dining table with 1940s Tolix chairs in vibrant red. “The table has wonderful warmth and patina and you can do anything on it,” Geoff says. “The red chairs cut across the seriousness and make it all accessible.” The wall behind the dining table conceals a row of storage cupboards, hidden behind zinc-fronted cabinets.    

INDOOR-OUTDOOR(pg 24) The vast ceiling height of the main living area gives the home its feeling of grandeur. Geoff had the pivoting steel doors custom made. “The were designed to take the biggest piece of glass you could get in Australia,” he says.

READING NOOK(pg 25) A Regency period chair in the living area sits proudly alongside a 19th-century forged inron door, which conceals the entry to the wine cellar. A 1940’s side table by French furniture makers Maison Jansen holds an unusual lamp: the bases of large 18th-century glass bottles mounted as light fittings! Above the chair is an artwork by Australian artist Rosalie Gascoigne.