LIGHT AND PALMY

BELLE STYLE DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE Steve Cordony imbued his former apartment in Sydney’s Surry Hills with a mood of relaxed elegance and globetrotting electicism.

My partner Michael and I decided to do a ‘soft’ cosmetic renovation The house is quite long and narrow, so manipulating the layout of furniture to make the space seem more expansive was tricky. The use of a circular dining table, full-height mirrored wall cladding and a crisp white background allowed the interiors to feel open, airy and generous. The interior is a dichotomy between traditional European detailing and classic American styling, with Italian mid-century accents.   One of my favourite pieces is the brass chandelier we found at the Saint-Ouen flea-market in Paris that was handmade by a local craftsman based on a vintage design from the 1960s. Also, the original ‘Beverly Hills Martinique Banana Leaf’ wallpaper from Designer Wallcoverings was something I had always loved and wanted to use for a while, so creating the study based around this was one of my favourite elements. The art-deco heritage of the building definitely informed the interiors but I also wanted to give a contemporary spin to the space. The fittings and finishes were kept neutral so we could add textural layers, such as the contemporary artworks from Leila Jeffreys and Kerry Armstrong and the wallpapers from Designer Wallcoverings and Phillip Jeffries. The abundance of natural light was the biggest drawcard plus the almost invisible line between indoors and out made it feel as if we were living on top of the city.