An interior designer’s family-friendly home
A WILLOUGHBY home owned by local interior designer Suzanne Gorman, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Now featuring white walls and honey-coloured timber floorboards, before it’s renovation it was “basic but liveable”. Learn about the transformation.
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IT MAY be hard to tell now, but when interior designer Suzanne Gorman and her husband Jon McCormick first moved into their Californian bungalow in Willoughby, the place wasn’t much to look at.
“When we first bought the house, it was in a basic but liveable condition. It was really a very ordinary bungalow, nothing about it was interesting except the aspect and natural light,” Suzanne says.
Since then, the property has grown and changed significantly, almost as much as its inhabitants.
“We have changed our home as our needs changed and our style evolved. This has mostly related to our family growing, we moved in with one toddler and now have three young adults,” she says.
Today the home reflects the Gorman story better.
The children now have their own privately zoned bedrooms, which Suzanne designed as little living spaces, as well as a large central kitchen for when the family wants to regroup.
Suzanne opted for a clean backdrop of white walls and honey-coloured timber floorboards with American oak joinery, which was then layered with warm tones and textures for a cosy, family vibe.
Pops of colour and playfulness were also sprinkled into the design, with pretty papered feature walls, silver domed pendant lighting and a yellow front door.
Artworks, including ceramics, ornaments and sculptures, also make up a big part of the home’s personality and help to keep it real.
“I like the bones of a home to be minimalist in style so that is can be filled, maximalist style with belongings that tell stories of the life that has been lived within and without the walls,” she says.
Despite how stunning the home looks, Suzanne is currently gearing up for the next set of renovations.
“In a possibly futile attempt to keep our offspring around longer, we are going to make some more major changes that will allow the house to better function for us as we negotiate how to live together as five adults,” she says.
Suzanne’s personal style has also evolved and she looks forward to changing up a few parts of the house.
“Another decade on and I’m finding I have come full circle. Instead of looking to creating open-plan living, I am yearning to create spaces for private retreat and am more interested in sanctuary than ever before,” she says.
This time around, Suzanne plans to focus on texture rather than colour, and she’s also hoping to add a few more materials into the mix.
“Oak, white and charcoal paint, white linen and indigo fabrics are materials that I have long favoured but my favourite material compositions have evolved to include terracotta, terrazzo, aged brass, blackened steel, sheepskin, ceramics and earthy-toned stones.”
Details
Who: Suzanne Gorman
What: Director at Studio Gorman, Sydney
Web: studiogorman.com
Instagram: @studiogorman