Lifelong Northern Beaches residents Alex Johnson and Joel Taylor purchased one of Avalon Beach’s few remaining 1960s brick apartments in 2019.
The apartment was simple and needed work, but as an interior designer and joiner respectively, Alex and Joel had the skills and vision to turn it into something special.
Before moving into the Sydney home, Alex and Joel set about on their first renovation. They replaced the old grey carpet with recycled Oregon timber floorboards, updated the kitchen layout, and created the timber dining banquette seat.
‘This renovation was done quite quickly and on a budget, just so we were able to move in and live in a nice environment,’ says Alex, who owns the interior design practice Knot Studio.
Within two years, the couple were itching to do more. They envisioned a more elevated version of the interiors, with additional custom joinery, furniture, and soft colour introduced via emerald quartzite kitchen bench tops.
Nearly all the timber joinery was built by Joel — who owns joinery business Taylor Made — including the kitchen cabinetry, dining table, floor-to-ceiling television unit. Curtains were also removed in favour of sliding timber slatted screens inspired by Japanese design.
Except for the living room armchair, all of the furniture was either designed by Alex or made by Joel (or both!) — from the stainless steel coffee table made by Brian Martin Metals, to the dining table, bed head, bed base, and sofa.
‘We are quite minimal people, so we did not want to over clutter the home, which also helps all the custom furniture speak for itself,’ says Alex.
‘Both renovations have been really personal for us, and express our design styles.’
Alex says colour has been a ‘huge influence’ on the home, especially the styling, which introduces light blue and brown elements to complement the base of warm timbers, Dulux Antique White U.S.A. walls, and the apartment’s treetop outlook.
Through these carefully considered renovations, every element of Joel and Alex’s apartment has been optimised, ensuring ample space and storage and for all their needs. Most importantly, this space perfectly represents the creative couple who live here, and serves as an impressive showcase of both Alex and Joel’s impeccable design skills and craftsmanship – dream team!
