Home Tour: Modern Muse

The pastel pink door of this Paddington townhouse hints at the creative potential within. But for the family of four who call this terrace home, the brief to Claudia Lambert Interiors extended beyond their favourite hue. The project’s aim, which took a year to complete, was to make the most of the small footprint of the home, utilising every nook and cranny, maximising storage, and injecting personality through art.     

Head of Studio, Claudia, notes that space was one of the most challenging parts of the build. She shares, “We stole space from previously unused outdoor plumbing areas, created narrower joinery on one wall to create an illusion of generosity of passage, then graduated down into a sunken lounge to create a higher ceiling, therefore the illusion of a grander room.”   

A hero feature of the home is the custom-made, floor-to-ceiling steel arch doors, which open fully to invite the outdoors in, seamlessly connecting the sun-drenched courtyard with the interior.  

Upstairs, the space-saving continues. With no major changes to the footprint, rooms were instead optimised with custom joinery and attic storage to ensure every inch was functional yet elegant.   

Exploring the complexity of pink, Claudia layered sophisticated tones with a selection of unique textures, including the scene-stealing quartzite in the kitchen. This exquisite piece was the “hero and the real palette setter”, Claudia muses. “I used tones woven from the stone into the other elements like the subtle warm joinery and the earth-toned stools”. This then made way for the palette to evolve into caramels and browns. “The use of stone and mixed metals was a direction I steered them in to create a bit of playfulness and tension in the design.”   

The showstopping kitchen lies at the heart of the home, with the bench and seating. “The stools are from a NSW-based creator Odditi, and I chose them to complement the overly pink stone of the island, alongside a custom brass faceted leg for the island that gives it a unique voice”, shares Caludia. But it’s not just the big statement pieces that have her heart. She notes, the “moment in the kitchen where the large circular light sits above the shelf, it’s such a fun modern moment that ticks all my visual boxes!” Proof that lighting is a designer’s best friend.   

On the unique selection of lighting woven through the home, Claudia shares, “The objective was to have a mix of decorative lighting with functional lighting in the hope that the functional lighting is never used! We have everything on dimmers, so we could create a warm ambient feeling in every space. We used beautiful spot lights in bronze from Dunlin in the kitchen instead of a traditional pendant so as not to obstruct the view straight down to the lounge area and not overwhelm the space.”  

Bridging the design juxtaposition of old and new fell to the artwork. Claudia notes that “it helped to inform furniture choices and what feeling each space evoked.” A natural starting point for Claudia, she shares that she always, always starts with art when designing a space. “It helps me understand my clients and what they are drawn to. Some of the curation is intuitive and based on falling in love with the work, and other placements are based on a considered design intent. There was a definite mix of this in the home.”  

And it wasn’t just the parents getting in on the process. Claudia notes, ” I love it when the kids value design too. The kids picked their own art from my curation, and we made sure to maximise their storage, ability to work from their rooms, and have their personalities shine through. There were no quick decisions here. I always encourage people to spend money on items that will grow with the kids and can easily adapt to their age. Soft furnishings can be easily updated as their tastes change, and buying art that is not ‘kids art’ solves the problem of getting tired of the same old prints you see time and time again.” 

With hidden details around every corner, Claudia promises a final edit is crucial. “Once the foundations were laid, we were able to go in and curate the collection we had sourced. Some pieces meant for a certain space ended up living elsewhere, which was a really fun way to curate and have the clients have ownership of these elements.” 

Project Credits:

• Styling and Interiors: Claudia Lambert Interiors @claudialambertinteriors 

• Build: Anthony O’Donovan 

• Photography: Hanah Blackmore @hannahblackmore   

Loved exploring this perfectly pink home and looking for more fun home inspo? Take a peek at this quietly maximalist home or this playful and refined Roseville home.

Writer

Olivia Storrie

22 October 2025

Armed with an Arts Degree in History and Psychology from the University of Sydney, a natural curiosity and a ravenous appetite, Olivia is your go-to for restaurant recommendations across the city. She also has a keen interest in hiking, patting other people’s dogs, travelling, curating her maximalist home and reading every book she can get her hands on.