City Living, Country-Style continued...
When the couple moved in, the decorating scheme was very bland. "We were not at all keen on the original interior," says Jan. "The decor was kind of 'nothing' with off-white walls and no window treatments except for a few beige Roman blinds." Working together, Jan and Judy transformed the apartment from bare minimalism into a little piece of France - an elegant yet comfortable space that was a home-away-from-home. "We took the mirrors off immediately and painted all the walls with a soft rag-rolled finish," says Jan. This gave it warmth and atmosphere, and helped create a homely feeling.
The design of the apartment was based around an ornate marble-topped table, now in the entrance hall. "That piece gave us the direction we needed," says Jan. More French-provincial furniture was sourced from around Sydney and the Southern Highlands. It was then upholstered in Jan's choice of sumptuous fabrics. The custom-made marble-topped buffet in the lounge was painted with careful attention to detail to match the cream of the chair fabric. Jan was concerned that the gilt mirror and marble-topped table would be too large for the entrance hall, but discovered that the small space made them more effective.
Jan enjoys mixing original antiques with modern French-style pieces, and Judy found many of them including the large mirror in the lounge. It's Jan's favourite and it reflects the view of the Opera House. When it came to colour, Jan selected a restrained neutral palette. "We focused on the various tones of off-white, cream, beige and gold," she says. "They're restful and elegant, and you can bring in various other shades with accessories or flowers." Luxurious window treatments in fabrics imported specially and tied back with tassels enhance the feeling of opulent comfort – although Jan laughs that the curtains are rarely closed because that would obscure the stunning view.
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