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Bernard House Scope

57 Holt Avenue, Mosman 2088

Sophia,

This is a lovely home with so many attractive features - it just needs some reimagining to bring it up to speed with 2025 and the changing demands that a growing family imposes on any and every dwelling! Nick’s next two years are of paramount concern and reconfiguring a space for him that is conducive to his studies and sense of wellbeing will inform much - but not all - of what we can do to number 57.

The following is a scope, or outline, of what we discussed on Monday and its purpose is to crystallise the imperatives as you have articulated them. I start at the front door and work my way through to the back, notwithstanding that this order is not a reflection of the priorities as we will address them. It’s just a logical methodology that gets everything covered.

This scope is not definitive - we can add, subtract or modify any of it so that it best reflects your ideas and intentions. The purpose of it is for you to feel confident that I have captured the essentials and that we are on the same page. I then use it as a road map of sorts, for developing the Creative Interior Plan, or CIP, should you engage me to do that work.

As I said to you, I am unapologetically honest and upfront, I think it is so important to be direct so that we can streamline our process together and achieve the best outcome for you and the family.

So let’s get on with it!!

Hallway:

People so underestimate the importance of this spot - it’s the landing pad to your inner world and it needs to be a fabulous reflection of who lives here! It is NOT a dumping ground for shoes and dog leads - I mean it is, of course exactly that…. but it doesn’t have to look like that!!! It is also not a good spot for a furniture obstacle course, so we add the glamour in other ways. Yes you need a console and yes a mirror - but when you open the front door to guests or more importantly, to your own selves, you want to feel the magic. You want to think, ‘wow, I live here!!’

Yep, nup.

I’m already tingling with ideas as to how to fix this situation.

Living space:

Epic pendant lights, some decent art, decent joinery…. that is all that is safe here!! The sofa is a classic, but its final destination is yet to be determined. It is possible that when we play with all the other elements in this space, we end up keeping it in here, but (don’t tell Cam - yet!!!) it may end up gonskis. Upstairs with Nick.

What we are looking to achieve is cohesion - we want this large living space to feel generous and expansive, not divided and remote. Currently, the scheme feels bland - 50 shades of grey without the headlines!! But there are really strong elements already here that need to be highlighted, enticed out of obscurity and allowed to shine. So often, less is more. We want style, we want those unique and deeply sentimental pieces to have their moment, but we really do need to curate the space in order for it to sing.

Once we clear Nick’s desk etc, and have a conversation with your grog cabinet… we can begin to open the area and start the process of joining the two halves of the room to make it feel whole - to make it feel home.

I like the armchair and wouldn’t suggest you get rid of it, I’ve got an idea for its transformation!!! And the coffee table is great. But because everything is a similar colour, nothing is daring to stand out and everything is reduced to a common grey denominator. We need to fix that - you are anything BUT bland and I’m guessing that handsome lad of yours and his dad too, have a charisma and charm not yet reflected in your interiors. You’ve got great taste - the things you’ve previously purchased are stylish but just not put together in a way that maximises their impact. Let’s fix that.

Your Bedroom:

Brutal honesty? I think we can improve. The colour scheme is gentle - we love that. But there is just no wow. Yet.

I absolutely LOVE the little bedroom chair and I love its story. I actually think it leads us somewhere far more fabulous than the grey. In truth, there is a world of opportunity in this room with its lovely quality of light and its generous proportions, arch and bay window. But we could discuss ways to improve the style factor. The bedhead, linen, bedsides and lamps could potentially, in the fullness of time, be replaced so that we can give the room a clearer identity.

(And while we are at it, we will fix that hole in the wall!!)

Nick’s room:

Newsflash - he’s outgrown it!! As you have identified, and as we discussed, moving him upstairs lock, stock and barrel makes perfect sense and we just need to work out the logistics of how to achieve that. But the reality is, the rigour of the HSC years place such a strain on the family as the student grapples with all the demands, so optimising his environment really is a priority for the whole family. Your plan has been to create a study space upstairs, but it would be good to explore what else might be possible with all the constraints you face - like DA requirement, time frame, budget, etc

If we were able to achieve his relocation to an upstairs ‘suite’, then this room would make a fabulous study for you. Your current study then becomes the smaller guest room, with additional desk space for Cam for those odd times he does WFH or just as a study for him to cogitate his memoire!!!!!.

I have some great ideas for what we’d do to make both rooms look fab.

The Study:

It hasn’t photographed very well, for obvious reasons - there isn’t enough room to get the angles!!

Kitchen/Dining Room:

This area of the house has such a lovely northerly aspect, opening to the garden and pool.

Good design is about cohesion and simplicity - from that serenity flows!!!

Everyone has an agenda for change - and I believe that if you have a big picture plan well articulated, then making those changes at a pace that feels unhurried is the way to go. MCM House is not known for the longevity of its furniture - but then, it doesn’t pretend otherwise. Cult Design, on the other hand, is about forever pieces. Both have their place in our homes, and as there is so much pleasure in occasional renewal, we all need to be discerning about where to spend budget.

I’m all about a tweak - I approach all my clients budgets as though they were my own. So I develop a plan based on where I think the budget needs to go. I’d paint this room and in time, replace the dining table and chairs and the rug. But I’m a patient woman and a realist. So tweaking may be the short term fix and the bigger picture will be well articulated in your CIP.

Upstairs:

And whether we can stage this or just bite the bullet and decide on a large bedroom, bathroom, gym, living space that could, in real estate speak, be termed a ‘parent’s retreat’ will depend entirely on your appetite. This is Mosman, you have a good address, a Federation home with garage, pool, plenty of bedrooms, a study…. and a PARENT’S RETREAT - you’ll get your money back, hands down.

In the short term, do nothing except move his desk up here. If you decide to go ahead with me, we will get Mike in ASAP to get his opinion on the extent to which we can undertake works without DA.

To conclude:

I think you and I will make a great team Sophia, good taste and humour is a powerful combo and we both clearly value each of those things.

You have a lovely house and we can make it even lovelier. I’d be honoured to help.

Henrietta x