Meryl Hare is the principal and design director of Hare + Klein (five-time winners of the Australian Interior Design Awards) and has 33 years’ experience in the design industry. She is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, has received a citation for services to the design industry and was inducted into the Institute’s Hall of Fame in 2011 and the House and Garden Hall of Fame in 2018. Hare + Klein Interior is her brand new book, and today you can take a look inside it – specifically, at the stunning Old Furniture Factory design project.
Read on …
THE OLD FURNITURE FACTORY
PROJECT DESIGN AND DECORATION: Eloise Fotheringham
PHOTOGRAPHY: Shannon McGrath
‘STANDING AT A JAUNTY ANGLE IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE LIVING ROOM WAS A 20-FOOT SHIPPING CONTAINER.’
This 1920s furniture factory/warehouse is in the middle of a residential area of Leichhardt, an inner-west suburb of Sydney 5 kilometres from the city centre. Originally inhabited by the Wangal clan of the Eora people, Leichhardt was named after the 19th-century Prussian explorer, Ludwig Leichhardt, who famously vanished in 1848 without trace while attempting to cross the Australian continent. The suburb has a distinctly Italian flavour, reflecting the wave of Italian immigration after both World Wars.
I recall being startled when we first met our prospective clients on-site. Standing at a jaunty angle in the middle of what appeared to be the living room was a 20-foot shipping container coloured bright blue. I was intrigued as to how it came to be there, as I could see no way of getting it out without removing the front of the building. The concept of working with this extraordinary item in the living room was challenging, but I decided that the ‘elephant in the room’ should be acknowledged – and repainted orange!
When our clients bought the property, the interior layout was almost completely open plan and lacking in storage or privacy. But it had great ‘bones’ and we were up for the challenge – in fact, excited by it. I thought that it was crucial to embrace the industrial warehouse/factory feel and so did our clients, but they also wanted their home to be comfortable, accommodate their young family and serve as a home office.
The previous fit-out, apart from the shipping container, was mostly demolished, except for the footprint of the mezzanine floor. This we revamped, repairing some of the original parts and ‘touching the building lightly’. On this level we created a private master bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, as well as guest and children’s bedrooms which incorporate storage space, a study area and a new staircase to the ground floor. The open rafters and beams dictated our space planning, and we wove them into the fabric of the walls and wardrobes wherever we could.
On the ground floor we opened up new steel doors and windows to bring in north light and create a connection to the courtyard. Our clients love to cook and entertain, so the dining area, adjacent to the courtyard, is all about the communal dining experience, with a long refectory-style table and a chandelier defining the double volume space. The kitchen is practical – tailored to our clients’ style of cooking – and nuanced, with an industrial feel. We introduced new joinery, kept the wood-burning fireplace and retained the old walls with peeling paint. Both staircases are finished in steel, in keeping with the original character of the building.
The builders were a great asset, and their meticulous attention to detail meant that they were a pleasure to work with. This type of renovation requires flexibility in the design intent, and communication between designer, builder and client is crucial to its success, especially when unexpected and unforeseen circumstances arise and quick decisions have to be made.
This is now a fully functioning home for a young family. Light floods into areas that were previously dark and gloomy, the shipping container is a perfect playroom for their son and the space reserved at the front serves as a home office. All the boxes were ticked, and the owners are delighted with the result.
—Hare + Klein Interior by Meryl Hare (Thames & Hudson Australia) is out on the 28th of July.
Hare + Klein Interior
Distinguished by an aesthetic of understated luxury and attention to fine detail, Hare + Klein is synonymous with uncompromisingly comfortable, liveable interiors made exceptional by deceivingly effortless styling. Whether it's a stark inner-city warehouse brought to life by contemporary furniture and finishes or a rural idyll seamlessly linked to a gorgeous garden, Hare + Klein's style is unmistakeable...
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