Combining the rich history of the home with its layered past, Johnson House sees the careful restoration of heritage together with the making of relevance. As her own home, Tamsin Johnson has fused a love for storied spaces with her own unique expression, creating a private escape for her family from the world.

Located in Darling Point, Johnson House stands as one of the remaining earlier residences of the area. Having passed only a few hands since it was originally built in 1927, Tamsin Johnson and her family are the third owners. Initially owned by a British army colonel, followed by a philosopher and computer scientist, the rich depth of the home’s history needed to be retained as a key part of the brief. In both keeping and celebrating the existing detailing and making the spaces relevant for today, restoration was needed, as well as stripping of some elements that had built up over time, to bring the structure back to its original intent. In weaving in her own style, the home becomes animated with collected finds, some also with their own narrative and pasts, together with newer elements to create the ideal home that marries past and present.

Johnson House is a home of flush textural delight and one that connects to its location with enviable views out over the harbour. Like any contemporary home, the kitchen has become its own destination as a place to gather and entertain, as well as a place of preparation. As a reflection of this, the space sees geometric sculptural elements come together in the form of the island bench whilst integrated joinery reflects the origins of the original through a modern lens. Throughout, new and old fixtures, lighting and hardware sit side by side, harmoniously in conversation with one another.

A subtle and muted base palette allows pieces within the home to be displayed and have their own space, whilst also overlaying a blanketed veil of continuity between old and new. At the core of the home is a want to create a space of calm, removed from the outside and as a place of recharge for its owners. Working closely with makers and craftspeople from her own practice, an understanding of aesthetic aided the process of creating a home that truly reflected Tamsin. The integration of an artisanal approach is felt throughout, with the imprint of both time and the handmade forming a generous collection.

Combining the classical with the contemporary, Johnson House is an idyllic home immersed in place. Tamsin Johnson draws from her own inimitable style and, together with her own growing assortment of finds, forms an eclectic series of spaces all of her own.