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The historic home sits tucked away at the end of a quiet street only minutes from the center of Hobart. Numerous cafes, restaurants, museums, and shops are within walking distance.

A trove of original details awaits inside, including the sandstone walls wrapping the main living spaces on the ground level and the wooden beams above.

Jim's office is removed from family areas.

The office features bespoke timber shelves, desks, and cabinets crafted from white oak. “My wife and I designed each piece of millwork, and we reviewed each interior elevation for function,” says Joseph. “Our senior project architect prepared the fabrication shop drawings, and we hired the fabricator directly, which allowed us to bypass the costly middle man and gave us complete quality control. We then hired a local carpenter to install and then finish the millwork on-site.”

Four-panel sliding doors fully pocket, eliminating any boundaries between the interior and the courtyard. A central fire feature anchors the seating area, referencing the traditional fireplace found in living rooms.

The pink and blue color scheme was influenced by the couple’s Kandinsky print. “I have carried around dozens of books to the many places I've lived for a long time,” says Rachel, who now has a home for the collection here.

The office/library acts as a transition area that “slows the separation” between the main living spaces and the primary bedroom, says Sean.

The wallpaper in the formal entry space is Blackthorn by House of Hackney. The pattern—which features hawthorns, daisies, and tulips forming a skull of foliage blooms—is part of a collaboration with the William Morris Gallery, and it was originally created by Morris in 1892.

The kitchen has a large central island, with the range and workspaces on the right and a huge built-in on the left in front of the stair. A bright, white laminate wall holds the oven and refrigerator. Architect Nicholas Fiore says this element “pumps the brakes a bit” on the white oak shiplap walls and white oak ceiling.

The hearth is custom made with locally poured concrete. The white oak timber beam that caps the inset hearth echoes the beam detail in the entry.

The formal entry space features a built-in bench and is defined by a timber detail that runs up the walls and across the ceiling. “Built-ins are an excellent way to bring a human scale to a project,” says architect Nicholas Fiore. “People seek an intimacy—a coziness—in their homes, and we think that niches, window seats, benches, nooks, and other ‘hand-scale’ details can satisfy that human need.”

The back of the property has a relatively private feel for a downtown location. The living room opens out to the garden through two glazed walls, while the trellis cladding of the mudroom echoes the screens at the front of the home.

Well-placed skylights flood the built-in desk and workstation with natural light. The elegant desk lamp, which Hara calls the Sunset Lamp, has a maple base and bowl-like shade, the latter finished with gold leaf for a warm glow.

After: To camoflauge ceiling soffits that hide upstairs plumbing, a set of bookcases was installed at one end of the living room.