Upper North Shore renovation leads to fresh start

It was meant to be the renovation project that would give the Seit family’s home in Sydney’s Upper North Shore a new life. Instead, it gave them all a fresh start.

The Seit family, from left, Lachlan, Maddy, Sam and Elaine, at home in Killara. Picture: Jane Dempster

It was meant to be the renovation project that would give the Seit family’s home in Sydney’s Upper North Shore a new life.

Instead, it gave them all a fresh start.

The family first moved into the Killara home in 2006.

The “master builder’s” home had great foundations, with thick double brick and sandstone footings. It’s front facade is so recognisable, it was featured in the final season of long-running Australian medical soap, All Saints.

Three years ago, the family ­decided it was time to give the home some tender love and care to take the beautiful yet tired home into a new modernised, art deco-inspired era.

The screenworthy facade of 19-21 Ellsmore Ave, Killara.

Ducted air-conditioning was added throughout, ensuites and additional bathrooms created, technology systems for security and internet integrated and the kitchen completely overhauled to create the ultimate home.

“Basically, the house needed to be brought into the 21st century,” said Elaine Seit, who led the ­project.

“We just wanted to capture the time that it built without sacrificing the modernity. I think a lot of people do renovations, but they don’t look at what the house has got within its bones.”

Much of the design and furnishings drew upon arches and curves, inspired by the original arch windows at the bottom of the property overlooking the garden.

The hardest part of the house to renovate was the kitchen, to ensure it had the right flow to make cooking and entertaining in the space enjoyable. The design required new walls to house the butler's pantry, with white marble benchtops on the cabinetry and large island bench.

While the home was a construction site, the family made the temporary move into an apartment in Neutral Bay that they were holding as an investment. It turned out, with the kids now in their 20s at university, low-maintenance living close to the city was right up the Seits’ alley and how they now want to live.

Curves and arches were used throughout.

The Killara home at 19-21 Ellsmore Ave is on the market with The Agency – North agent’s Jason Roach and Chelsea Soames, with a price guide of $7.1m.

The home’s previous owners were a semi-retired couple of ­horticulturalists, establishing the property’s expansive gardens. While Elaine admits to being a bit of a green thumb herself, she wanted to create a more low-maintenance and drought-hardy design with separate areas. “In those days, I was into the whole Parisian style,” Elaine explained.

“Within the realms of the ­structured gardens, they had all sorts of plants growing in the ­middle of it and I found that very hard to maintain. We don't live in Paris, we don’t live in Europe where there’s a lot of rain.

“I basically engaged a good friend of mine to redesign the garden to be more drought resilient.”

The Seit family’s collection of plates from around the world. Picture: Jane Dempster

One of Elaine’s disappointments about listing is she has not been able to properly enjoy her hard work, particularly the small sitting room created off the main living area.

During their tenure, it had ­become the storage room, and only now is the space the perfect getaway to enjoy a cup of tea and a good book while peering out over the garden.

It was a difficult decision to list, after all, the home was being upgraded with themselves in mind.

Elaine hopes the next family to take it on will love it just as much as they have. “It’s a well-loved family home,” Elaine said.

“That time of our life is over and two older people living in a huge house like that is just not giving it any justice. Really, houses like these are meant to be lived in, filled with laughter.

“It’s time to give the torch to someone else and a new family to grow up here.”