An early 20th-century Mediterranean Revival villa in harborside Sydney sounds like paradise, but it’s not without quirks. 

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In one young family’s case, it was the joint living and dining area of the 1934 Vaucluse home—which was originally built by Australian architect Leslie Wilkinson—that felt cramped and wasn’t practical for the homeowners and their two daughters. So they enlisted local interior design firm Handelsmann + Khaw to rearrange the floor plan to better fit their daily life.

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Principals Tania Handelsmann and Gillian Khaw relocated the dining zone and created a single generous living room in the once-mixed space. They arranged multiple seating sections for lounging, socializing, and reading by the fire to maximize functionality.

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“The client asked us to restore the home’s original charm and spirit, and wanted a living room that felt warm, layered, and inviting,” Tania says. She and Gillian pulled this off by honoring the historic wooden ceiling with an ornate chandelier, adding a playful squiggly wall border, and incorporating cozy furniture. Here’s how it all came together…

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The project: A 1934 Mediterranean Revival villa

The location: Vaucluse, New South Wales, Australia

The room: A great room

The client: A young family of four

The item that started it all: The original wooden ceiling instantly reminded us of a similar one in the Chateau Marmont (the LA celebrity hotspot was built just a few years earlier in 1929), so we were inspired to hang a Spanish iron chandelier and fill the room with a mix of bespoke and vintage furniture finds, creating a mood reminiscent of old Hollywood.

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I really had to sell my clients on: The patterned sofa pushed my clients outside their comfort zone, but they were sold by the idea that it would be much more forgiving of dirty little fingerprints, spills, and stains.

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The happy accident: Originally, the client had purchased two vintage Persian rugs at auction for this space, but two separate rugs felt disjointed and the patterns competed with the other fabrics in the room. With just days left before the client was moving in and no budget remaining, we needed a rug that was cheap and available immediately.

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So we brought in seagrass matting. It turned out to be the perfect understated solution, grounding the more whimsical pieces and tying all the disparate elements together. Luckily, the Persian rugs worked perfectly in the dining and TV rooms!

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The biggest learning: If a design element doesn’t work as you envisaged, even if it’s been planned that way since the beginning, let it go.

The splurge and steal in the room: The splurge is the painting by Oliver Watts. The steal is the seagrass rug.

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The design risk with the biggest payoff: The painted a squiggly wall border in vibrant yellow. Created using a custom stencil, the detail is a nod to the idiosyncratic nature of this house and a device used to signify that the interior design is playful and quirky and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

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Something vintage: Paolo Buffa lounge chairs, a Mexican birthing chair, and a 1950s hand-painted vase.

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Why this space works so well:  The eclectic curation of vintage and bespoke furniture and the mix of textures and patterns create visual richness. Natural sheepskin, printed Javanese fabric, rattan, and timber were selected for their patina and warmth, crafting a feeling of luxury that is nuanced and understated.

The Goods

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