Project Feature - A French Affair

Designing for a French Australian Family 

My clients — who are also dear old friends — met in their 20s while working in hospitality at Hayman Island in Queensland. He’s from Périgueux, France; she’s from Brisbane. Their first date was a wine and cheese night held in the staff quarters, with the cheese platter served on an ironing board draped with a tablecloth, and Frank Sinatra crooning on a tape recorder in the background.

Fast forward to today, they have three grown-up children - and live in a charming white Queenslander style cottage in Coorparoo, Brisbane. Now empty nesters, they decided it was time to renovate the heart of their home — the kitchen, laundry, and powder room. With their shared love of cooking, wine, coffee, and entertaining, the brief was to create a kitchen that blended classic French style, particularly country charm, with contemporary touches.

The floor plan remained unchanged, allowing us to refresh and transform the kitchen design without any structural work. To achieve a timeless look, we combined traditional and contemporary finishes (see more on combining old and new here), including classic English lighting from one of my favourite suppliers Dunlin Home, Carrara marble bench tops, hand-painted cabinetry, and contemporary Australian made brass tapware from Astra Walker.

Yum! Tiarimasu! Their niece from Périgueux is living with them during her gap year and has seamlessly fit into the family, bonding over their shared love of cooking. With her Dad — being a chef and restaurant owner back in Périgueux, it's clear that this love for culinary creativity runs deep throughout the family. A French Style house was at the forefront of mind while designing, but I was also driven by the practicalities of modern living. Ample storage, workspaces and flow throughout the kitchen were important.

A perfect spot to wash glassware after an evening of drinks with friends, the butler’s sink was an obvious choice for this kitchen, adding both charm and practicality

Afternoon apéritif, anyone? This kitchen was designed with their love of entertaining in mind. The thoughtfully chosen accessories and cookware — inherited from family and collected from French brocantes (second-hand markets) — weave together the story of this French-Aussie family.

The existing pantry was refreshed with new shelving, a Carrara marble top, and a glass-front door — a reflection of their love of food and cooking.

Beautiful ceramic bread bins, passed down from family and a traditional French bread cutter, perfect for slicing baguettes, offer a charming nod to their heritage and culinary passion.

For the laundry, they envisioned a space that captured the charm of countryside French laundries, reminiscent of their French Grandmother’s home back in Périgueux. I encouraged them to introduce colour to enhance the room’s sense of calm — a thoughtful contrast to a space that can sometimes feel chaotic.

The timber bench was a meaningful addition — a beautiful piece of wood gifted by a family member, lovingly restored for this space. The mix of textures, paired with a traditional linen skirt that cleverly conceals a bar fridge and rustic baskets, adds a romantic, old-world charm to the laundry room design.

The existing laundry layout presented a challenge, with a toilet awkwardly positioned in the centre of the room. Without making major structural changes, we were able to reconfigure the space, seamlessly integrating a powder room off the laundry — balancing practicality with timeless charm.

As the powder room was a new addition, we added traditional wainscoting and a pretty wallpaper by Diane Bergeron, incorporating the same finishes and Carrara marble bench top as the laundry to create a stylish spot for guests to reapply their lipstick. My clients found this vintage Italian glass mirror, which perfectly contrasts with the room's more classic features.

You can see all the images of this beautiful project here. I’m so happy to have helped these lovely friends create their dream home that they can enjoy for years to come.

“I love everything and would not change a thing”

Helen - Coorparoo, French Affair

Interior Design & Decoration: Gabrielle Reinhardt Interiors

Builder: M.R. Baker

Photographer: John Downs Photography