Take a careful combination of stunning colours and an eclectic mix must-have treasures – and add a dash of Asian spice. The house Jenni and David found when they were looking for a place to buy in 2001 was a Californian bungalow built in the 1930s near one of Sydney’s popular northern beaches. There was much that was unusual about it – not least of all the layout – but its quirkiness appealed to them. “It felt like home,” Jenni says fondly, remembering. David’s job as an engineer often took them on stints overseas, particularly in Asia, and they both love the vastly differing cultures and design styles to be found there. Wherever they went – Singapore, Hong Kong, India, you name it – Jenni always managed to bring something back in the way of furniture or decorative items which she claims she couldn’t leave behind. “You know how it is when you’ve just got to have it?” she laughs – and, indeed, we all do! She admits she can't resist old pieces with character – “the more battered the better”!
Not a lot to do
The interior of the three-bedroom house had been updated over the years by previous owners and although the alterations made the floor plan rather odd, as Jenni says: “Because there was nothing wrong structurally, there was no point changing anything – except in the backyard.” This is reached through double doors from one of the living areas and she describes it as “a complete eyesore”! The ugly state of it, however, gave the couple the opportunity to revamp it pretty radically, putting in a pool and crowning the extensive project with an authentic Balinese hut. “It’s thatched of course,” declares Jenni, “and it’s fantastic to relax out there with family and friends.” Her childhood home was one where people were encouraged to drop in and, for her – and David, too – this is important in their own place, so the ambience enhances its welcoming feel. As can be seen plainly on these pages, colour and texture are Jenni’s ‘raisons d’être’, and she values the fact that David loves the effects she creates. “He is happy that – as a stay-at-home mum – I have the time to do it,” she remarks, adding: “He just comes home – and smiles!” Recently, though, she has taken this activity a step further and registered a business name – Indigo Interiors Freshwater. “So far, I have only helped a couple of friends with their colour schemes,” she admits, “but they were so enthusiastic and grateful, and encouraged me to think about it seriously.” Trained originally as an environmental scientist, Jenni plied her craft cleaning up industrial sites, but – understandably, perhaps – these days, she is more drawn to concocting inviting interiors and experimenting with different hues. “I’m just at the beginning and I’m keen to learn all I can,” she goes on, “but I love this – it’s what I want to do.” As shown here, Jenni has a very good eye – particularly for combining colours – as well as a natural talent for putting furnishings, fabrics and other objects together against the backdrop that results. The two main hues she chose to set the scene in their home were Aubergine and Cobalt – both by Porter’s Paints. “I like Porter's because they have a lovely finish,” she remarks; and, to complement them, she added turquoise and a dash of 'fuchsia’ in decorative items.
A blank canvas
When the couple moved into their home originally, their daughter, Ellie, was a baby. She’s 10 now, and has a seven-year-old sister, Charlotte – and the bedroom they share is instantly recognisable as theirs by its fabulous shocking-pink wall! The third bedroom is a spacious loft under the roof with its own ensuite, but Jenni and David prefer to use the other one at the front on the ground floor to be near the girls. The staircase, however, gives the central living area a higher ceiling, making it light and airy, and it is here that visitors become aware of just how 'different' an interior can be. Apart from the striking background colours, the things that stand out and make it unique are the bits and pieces Jenni has collected over the years from all the places they've lived – both overseas and here at home. There's the Indian temple door, which is very old indeed, and a patchwork wall-hanging made of saris; ladders made out of various materials are another favourite feature – and even her mum's wooden chopping boards were salvaged! “She was throwing them out – so I grabbed them,” Jenni exclaims. “I love that kind of thing!” Undoubtedly, too, the stories surrounding these acquisitions and their discovery add to their charm, like one of the ladders, which she spotted at the Russian Empire Traders in Double Bay. She relates how she turned up to collect it in the pouring rain – with baby Charlotte in the car! "I had to have it," she recalls, wide-eyed, "so I got it home somehow." The pièce de résistance in this regard, however, has to be the wrought-iron day bed that Jenni came upon in a decorator store called British India in Singapore. "I just fell in love with it," she recalls, , "but when I tried to buy it, I was told it had been sold." Unable to hide her disappointment, she lingered in the shop for a while and suddenly, the proprietor came over, smiling broadly. "Apparently, seeing my distress, she'd called the buyers – and it turned out they didn't want it after all!" Jenni beams, and adds: "It was simply meant to be."
Story by Gabrielle Baxter Styling by Amy Frost