A once-standard 1980s Potts Point apartment has been stripped back and rebuilt with a touch of play, a hint of nonsense, and escapism tailored for a busy doctor.
Potts Point is full of architectural landmarks, but this two-bedroom apartment wasn’t one of them. Built in the 1980s, its aluminium windows and plain exterior offered little beyond practicality. But the owner, a doctor, was initially drawn to the home for its quiet perch above the neighbourhood and its potential to be a personal retreat away from the demands of everyday life. The only requirement relayed to interior designer Tamsin Johnson was to “go ham, stylishly.”
The first decision was to rebuild the interior from the inside out. Johnson gutted the apartment, removing the original windows and replacing them with steel frames. The building itself wasn’t something to lean into,” Johnson says. “At least the plain linearity meant I could re-invent it fully.”
Johnson describes the apartment’s personality as “continental,” a mix of Viennese cues, Adolf Loos-like restraint, and a touch of Northern Italy, all sharpened by a modern edge. The colour palette is rich but deliberate, made to draw you in rather than show off. “It couldn’t exist in continental Europe,” Johnson says, “but rejoices in it at the same time.” That blend of discipline and play runs through every room.
The kitchen became a feature in the home as the renovation progressed. Calacatta Viola marble and tailored joinery by Tamsin Johnson combine with a 1950s Barovier & Toso chandelier, turning the kitchen into a powerful focal point.
The dining room centres on a Blainey North table flanked by 1880s French moiré chairs. Murano glass vases and the Archivio Storico chandelier bring colour and lift, while Giallo Siena marble skirting and architraves anchor the space.
The kitchen became the project’s axis. The owner loves to cook, so the space needed both real function and a bit of emotional pull. Johnson paired bold, graphic stone with ochre-toned cabinetry and warm timber, giving the room weight without heaviness. As the renovation unfolded, the kitchen shifted from a practical space to a feature in the home. Johnson calls it “a powerful part of the design, a room built entirely around one person’s rituals.”
In the media room, walls of abstract timber and snug built-in banquettes create an enclosure to sink into. A mirrored panel reflects light and expands the room, but doesn’t dilute its intimacy. In the living room, Johnson purposely mixes things up, often inserting a piece that “throws the whole thing off,” as she puts it. In this case, the hand-knotted ribbon Baroque armchairs do just that as sculptural irony that is perfectly off-centre in the room.
Colour is used sparingly, almost as punctuation. “The moiré blues and greens of the dining chairs and bright balcony furniture animate the timber and stone,” Johnson says.
A custom Tamsin Johnson timber fireplace and bench complement a Paolo Buffa armchair, and French abstract artwork.
Light was never lacking, but she moderated it, dialling back brightness to preserve the richness of the materials. “The timber really mellows the light,” she says, allowing bold surfaces and saturated hues to come across as subtle rather than jarring.
In the two bathrooms, Johnson layers textures and tones with similar care. “I love the stone tile mix, it adds another tune,” she says, pairing cool grey marble against warmer stones. Doorways are framed in softer stone to mark transitions without interrupting flow. Small details carry weight, including pendants set into custom-matched cornices rather than hung from bare ceilings, and marble balcony tiles that bridge the interior and exterior. “Terracotta would have been too pedestrian for it,” Johnson says.
Though the owner is rarely home, the apartment is made for the hours that count, whether it’s a few focused hours in the kitchen or a sensory reset in a corner of the home. “It was important to create an apartment that feels deeply personal in a way that makes being home feel worth it,” Johnson says.
Custom timberwork wraps the living room with order. Scattered across it, vintage accents, including Murano glass wall lights, and an abstract painting, create small moments of play and surprise.
A custom banquette and tailored joinery by Tamsin Johnson Interiors hug the window, while a 1950s Luigi Brusotti curved glass coffee table and terracotta pendant create cosy layers.
Hand-carved 1970s Rainer Daumiller dining chairs and a 1980s hand-knotted blue-violet ribbon armchair by Anacleto Spazzapan allow the owner and guests to unwind outside. The marble tiles were a practical choice for Johnson, who explains terracotta, though easier, would be “too pedestrian” for it.
A custom gold-leaf mirror by Tamsin Johnson sits at the entrance of the main bedroom, reflecting a 1970s Carlo Scarpa console, 1940s French hand-carved seating, a 1950s Murano pendant, and 1930s cubist artwork, all layered with tailored window treatments.
The bathroom features a bespoke Calacatta Vagli vanity and honed marble floor with Italian mid-century touches, including a brass-mounted onyx mirror, 1970s Barovier & Toso sconces, and Perrin & Rowe tapware.
