Heritage Meets Japandi

In Sydney’s inner west, Steph and Gian Ottavio have transformed a 110-year-old Queen Anne federation home into a light-filled family retreat. By combining original architectural details with warm materials, a restrained palette and carefully selected Intrim mouldings, they created a  home where Federation character and Japandi simplicity sit comfortably side-by-side.

The couple behind Japandi Estate and winners of The Block in 2023, saw the home’s potential from the beginning. Full side access provided room to extend both back and across, but rather than begin renovating immediately, they chose to live in the house for six months.

That time allowed them to understand how natural light moved through the rooms, which areas worked for everyday life and what the home needed to become a more practical family space. Instead of imposing a new identity, they allowed its original character to guide the renovation, introducing Japandi principles to make the interiors feel lighter, calmer, and more contemporary.

A Federation Home Ready for a New Chapter

The home’s original floor plan was typical of its era, with a series of rooms leading toward the service areas at the rear. Despite its generous Federation proportions, the home felt dark and was not arranged for contemporary family life.

Steph and Gian wanted to open the home to more natural light and make better use of the side return, which had previously served as little more than a pathway. Skylights were planned for almost every room, helping bring light into the centre of the house and allowing the interiors to change naturally throughout the day.

Their brief centered on usability rather than scale. The priority was to create a comfortable family home with room to grow, without overcapitalizing or removing the period details that gave the property its character.

Planning A Thoughtful Heritage Renovation

Although the house is located within a conservation area, it is not individually heritage-listed. This gave the couple some flexibility to reconfigure the floor plan while still respecting local planning requirements.

Drawing on Steph’s architectural background, the couple met with council before lodging their development application to discuss the proposed design. For this project, the early consultation helped the formal approval process proceed smoothly.

Construction began once approval was received. Partway through the renovation, Steph and Gian discovered they were expecting their first child, giving the project a new sense of urgency and purpose. The renovation, including landscaping, was completed in five months.

With a baby on the way, creating a calm, functional and settled home became even more important. It was a fitting objective for an interior shaped by the Japandi principles of simplicity, warmth, and restraint.

Heritage Character Meets Japandi Simplicity

Rather than stripping the house back to a blank canvas, Steph and Gian worked with what was already there.

Original skirtings and architraves featured heritage scrolls, so these were retained wherever possible. Where sections were missing, a plaster specialist recreated them to match. Heritage arches were also reinstated throughout the front rooms, helping restore the rhythm and character of the original Federation interior.

Picture rails were added to rooms with flat ceilings, providing a considered way to display art while preserving the uncluttered walls and negative space central to Japandi interiors.

For the picture rails, the couple selected Intrim’s CR62 chair rail. Its rolled top and clean central band provide enough presence to complement the home’s Federation proportions without appearing overly ornate.

The home’s original window joinery called for a more considered solution than a standard off-the-shelf profile. Steph and Gian paired Intrim’s SN01 sill nosing with the IN32 inlay mould, using the inlay mould in place of a traditional scotia.

This subtle combination creates a refined transition around the windows while respecting the scale and detail of the home’s original joinery. It is an example of how a small architectural choice can help new work feel connected to a period interior.

One Consistent Detail Connects Old and New

Throughout the home, Intrim’s SK945B skirting (230mm) and SK450 architrave (90mm) creates a consistent architectural line. Its soft curve and refined bead detail have enough presence to suit the home’s Federation proportions while remaining restrained enough for a Japandi interior.

Using the same profile in the restored front rooms and the new rear addition helps the transition between old and new feel natural. Rather than reading as two separate parts of the house, the spaces are connected by one carefully repeated detail.

The result demonstrates how a restrained selection of well-proportioned mouldings can give an interior warmth, character and lasting impact.

Light, Warmth and a Calm Place to Land

Skylights were fitted throughout almost every room, transforming a home that once felt dark into one that responds to the changing light throughout the day.

Warm timber joinery, natural textures and a restrained, earthy palette continue the sense of calm through the kitchen and living areas. These materials complement the home’s architectural details without competing for attention.

The mouldings provide definition and balance, giving each room a finished appearance while maintaining the simplicity associated with Japandi design.

Importantly, the completed home doesn’t try to merge federation and Japandi design into a single indistinguishable style. Instead, both remain visible. Original arches, traditional proportions and decorative details speak to the history of the house, while clean lines, natural materials, and carefully managed negative space creates a quieter contemporary layer.

Every decision, from the height of the picture rails to the consistent skirting profile, was made with purpose rather than added purely for effect.

Completed in time for the arrival of their first child, the home offers a clear answer to anyone wondering whether heritage character and Japandi design can live comfortably under one roof.

How to Create Japandi Style in Your Home

This renovation offers practical inspiration for homeowners, designers, and builders looking to introduce Japandi style without losing the character of a period property.

Choose Restraint Over Ornament

Japandi interiors rely on a carefully edited selection of details.

Rather than changing moulding profiles from room to room, choose one well-proportioned skirting and architrave profile and use it consistently. A profile such as SK450 can provide enough detail to complement a period home without making the interior feel overly decorative.

Repeating the same profile also helps establish a calm, visual rhythm throughout the house.

Use Mouldings to Connect an Original Home and New Addition

Extensions can feel disconnected when the architectural language changes abruptly between old and new.

Running the same skirting boards and architraves through both areas creates a visual link, even when the architecture, materials, or ceiling heights differ. In this home, using SK450 throughout helps the restored Federation rooms and contemporary rear addition read as one cohesive residence.

Give New Joinery a Reason to Sit Beside the Old

When original detailing remains, look for new profiles that complement its scale and proportions rather than trying to imitate every decorative element.

The combination of SN01 sill nosing and IN32 inlay mould around the windows is one example. The detail references traditional joinery while maintaining the cleaner finish suited to a Japandi-inspired interior.

Use Picture Rails to Preserve Negative Space

Japandi design celebrates breathing room, which means every wall does not need to be filled.

Using a chair rail such as CR62 as a picture rail provides a flexible place to display art without creating unnecessary visual clutter. It also introduces an architectural detail that feels appropriate in a Federation home.

For a cohesive result, establish a consistent picture rail height and consider how it relates to windows, doors, ceiling details and furniture.

Work with Natural Light

Natural light plays an important role in making a restrained interior feel warm rather than stark.

Before selecting colours and finishes, observe how light moves through each room at different times of the day. Skylights, glazed openings and lighter surfaces can bring daylight into darker areas, while warm timber and natural textures help soften the result.

Start with Samples

The size, depth and shadow lines of a moulding can look different in a room than they do on a screen.

Steph and Gian curated Intrim’s Japandi Sample Box using the profiles featured in this renovation. The sample box allows homeowners, designers and builders to see and feel the profiles before selecting them for a complete project.

Place samples against proposed wall colours, flooring, joinery and existing architectural details. Viewing them in the actual space and under changing natural light can make it easier to choose a profile with the right scale and level of detail.

Architecture/Interior Design: Steph and Gian Ottavio

Build: Endeavour Constructions

Installation: New Line Building