With the colour palette dialled to neutral and a less formal aesthetic, this Sydney house has a new lease on life.Having lived in their Hunters Hill house in Sydney for 10 years this family was very appreciative of the suburb and its attractions as well as the space and convenience of their house. But as the family's three children had grown the layout no longer suited their needs or the way they lived. They looked at moving but could not find anything suitable, deciding that a makeover of the home was their best option.

At the first site meeting Juliette Arent, principal of interior design studio Arent & Pyke, was immediately aware that many rooms were either under-utilised or not used at all. "The rooms felt closed off from one another and the family heirloom furniture was overbearing," she says. "Entire rooms were left empty for days, without life or soul."

In the study is a Ringvide Studio 'Weave' cabinet in natural birch from Criteria. Artwork is Poppy II by Jonathan Delafield Cook from Olsen Gallery.

Throughout the house, carpets and lighting were all replaced but the dark-stained timber floorboards have remained as a rich backdrop for the neutral hues. Roman blinds and curtains made by Simple Studio in plain fabrics continue the serene theme.

Eventually every room in the house was reimagined, redefined and given new life. "As the design process progressed the more enthusiastic the client became to further change," says Juliette. "For me, the success of a project lies in the way the owners interact with the new spaces and how comfortable the transition is," she says.