This beautiful Queenslander reimagines serenity in the modern day: where soft and bold don’t just exist in harmony, but thrive together
Susie, our homeowner in this story, had quite the job on her hands: first, oversee the renovation of a Queenslander, while keeping life running for her family of five. Next, with the renovation complete, it was time to furnish the space — to create a comfortable little haven away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, while also suiting three rambunctious young boys.
So, it was quite the serendipitous moment when, in the foyer at her boys’ daycare, she came across a business card for Connors & Co. “It was lovely to get Susie’s call and realise our boys were in the same class!” says Kate, director of Connors & Co.
Over the next two years (thanks, COVID), Kate would work closely with the family in creating their ideal home. Kate drew inspiration from the Morningside surroundings — think leafy streetscapes with flashes of red from the nearby flame trees — and the home’s original features. Serenity was a keyword, but Kate wanted to surround Susie with a sense of soft femininity to counterbalance her life with four males. The overall design would pair gentle blues and greens with softly layered textiles and natural tones, while bold bursts of red would, as Kate phrases it, “animate the serene spaces.”
Looking at the end result, serenity is indeed what comes to mind. The home is swathed in natural light, which gently highlights the carefully chosen pieces in each room. The entryway, for example: a bold emerald door offers a chic welcome, echoed in a whispered green (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint) on the vintage console. Contemporary art reminds you this isn’t the 60s anymore, and it’s emphasised in a splash of red on the console lamp. It’s a theme that carries throughout the home: softly, softly, it says, then turns the volume up.
The living room is perhaps where this most comes to life. To make this space as functional as it is beautiful, Kate installed custom joinery to fill the wall, offering storage that’s subtle, but a feature in its own right. It’s teamed with a vintage Tabriz rug; its gently aged hues created the palette for this room, with dusty greens and coral pinks accenting the neutral sofa and gorgeously crisp panelled walls. On the wall is one of Kate’s favourite pieces, an abstract-style piece from Lismore artist, Sally Anderson. “I’m a huge fan of Sally’s work,” Kate explains. “When I saw she had a show coming up at the Nicholas Thompson Gallery, I told Susie I’d keep an eye out for the preview catalogue. I had my eye specifically on this piece — and was thrilled when she came straight back to me with the same choice!”
Susie said she felt like Sally had painted the piece for her, not only was it perfect for the space aesthetically, she also connected with the piece which was loosely based on scenes from a number of places where Susie had once lived from Sydney to the Tweed.
The home makes you want to settle in, curling up on any number of invitingly plush chairs dotted across the space. A bench seat in the dining area, for example — though you may have to jostle with one of the three boys for a space, is as comfortable as it looks (don’t worry, because it, like every part of this home, has been built to last, with hard-wearing and durable fabrics treated with professional protection that have survived the three boys being stuck at home through Covid lockdowns, isolation and floods, and even a green slime explosion!). Or perhaps you’d opt for the chair in the master bedroom. Once belonging to Susie’s grandmother, it’s been reupholstered and revitalised, ready to start a new chapter with this new generation of family. This home tells a story not only of the family within it, but also of the relationship built between Connors and Co and client. “I feel lucky to have worked with such lovely clients for so long,” says Kate.
Words: Natasha Pavez // Photography: Francoise Baudet
