Gemma Keil's labour of love: A modernist family home designed by architect Douglas Snelling

It’s easy to dismiss manifestation when you haven’t quite got your grip on the thing you want, but when you loosen your grip a little, things usually come your way.

This was certainly the case for art director and fashion stylist Gemma Keil and her long-held dream to live in a mid-century home. 

“I never thought it would happen,” she says. 

Whether it was manifestation, luck, or being in the right place at the right time that clinched the deal, Keil and her family now live in a modernist home designed by revered architect Douglas Snelling on Sydney’s North Shore. 

Snelling designed more than 70 Sydney residences and other buildings in his lauded career, and had a knack for blurring the lines of indoor-outdoor living. 

Keil discovered the home while searching for a family rental, but didn’t know its architectural significance at the time.

“There was nothing about this information in the listing,” she says. 

Not that this information would have swayed Keil’s decision anyway, because as soon as she inspected the house, she knew it was the perfect place for her young family to call home. 

Keil recalls people walking in and straight out at the inspection.

“It’s a really big house without all the furniture in it and seemed quite cavernous,” she says. “I remember people saying the carpet reminded them of Parliament House and leaving straight away.”

Keil, on the other hand, had a mind reeling with possibilities, and she was already mentally styling the house with her collection of furniture, art and homewares. 

“When we moved in, it was quite tired, and since we’ve moved in, we’ve poured so much love and time into the house,” she says. “We absolutely love living here.”

Keil admits the house itself has a lot of upkeep for a rental but it is something she and her family have embraced. On most weekends you’ll find them tending to the well-established perennial garden that is always in bloom.

One of Keil’s favourite things about the home is that it’s in largely original condition, from the floor-to-ceiling windows and timber cabinetry to wall panelling and sandstone walls. 

“This home is so typical of mid-century design, where they were so good at making inside feel like outside and blurring those sort of lines,” she says.

“The doors slide all the way open and the interior is timber or sandstone, so you really do feel immersed in nature and grounded in the space.”

As a fashion stylist, Keil felt at ease when it came to decorating the home, which features second-hand designer furniture that she’s slowly collected over time.

“With my personal style, I’m really into investing in mainly second-hand but really good quality designer pieces I will hunt down, and it’s exactly the same with furniture – I will be across auction sites and Facebook Marketplace,” she says. 

Keil is slowly working her way through her furniture wish-list, and some of her favourite pieces include a pair of Cassina Maralunga sofas and a B&B Italia glass coffee table.

“I wanted the Maralunga sofas for ages and I found those on an auction site and no one bid for them – I got them for such a steal.” 

Keil believes a fashion wardrobe should be comfortable, and extends this philosophy to her home.

“I want things to look comfortable and feel comfortable, and it’s the same with the house – it’s a home,” she says. 

You could say the same for the structure of the home itself. It was built once and built well, with only mild wear and tear for a structure of its age.

Keil says it best: “It’s lasted the test of time. It was a masterpiece back then, and still is.”