Welcome back to Behind the Facade, your backstage pass into the personal stories that shape the homes we love.
There is something immediately distinguished about 40 Pine Street. The double-brick facade, ornate verandah detailing and terracotta roofline place it firmly among Marrickville's finest Federation homes. Step inside, and it becomes clear the street frontage is only part of the story.
The hallway opens into something vast and unexpected: a double-height rear pavilion where light pours through floor-to-ceiling glazing, heated concrete stretches toward a lush garden, and an oversized pool glimmers beyond a frameless glass fence. “It’s not that big from the front,” recalls Stephanie Ferrara, founder of Laidback Lee Design, with a grin. “But as soon as that door swung open, it was really exciting.”
Stephanie was brought in to refresh this remarkable home for its owners, Ronny and Andrew, a family with busy lives and a house that, while generously renovated in 2007, had been well and truly lived in. The bones were extraordinary, and the brief was clear: honour what was already there, update where necessary, and send this home out into the world at its absolute finest.
What makes 40 Pine Street so compelling is its dual personality. At the front, the Federation character is impeccably preserved: double-brick, skylit ceilings with intricate floral detailing, craftsmanship built to last another hundred years. Move deeper, and the language shifts entirely. Exposed timber trusses and iron beams emerge overhead, industrial in spirit, the legacy of a 2007 renovation that Stephanie recognised immediately as something to celebrate. “I really loved those exposed beams, and I didn’t want to paint them,” she explains. “The beauty is in seeing the charm of the iron and knowing that it’ll last the test of time.”
The rear pavilion is where the home truly exhales. Heated polished concrete runs the full length of the open-plan kitchen, dining and living zone. Stephanie pictures it on a winter afternoon, sun low through the glass, the floor warm underfoot. “It actually is quite a vast space,” she notes, “but it’s warm and cosy.” Louvre windows catch every cross breeze, the stone island bench anchors the room, and the rear wall dissolves entirely into the garden through sliding glass doors.
The journey upstairs is its own architectural moment. Stephanie transformed the original staircase into something crisp and contemporary, with white risers and black Japan timber treads, while a bespoke lead light window floods the void with kaleidoscopic colour. “Upstairs really does take my breath away because it’s so big and unexpected,” she says. The upper level delivers five bedrooms, including a master suite with a walk-in robe, ensuite, and a mezzanine balcony overlooking the living space and garden below.
Outside, the 708sqm block earns its resort description without exaggeration. Mature trees and flowering beds frame a pool that earns a second look. “You don’t see that quite often,” Stephanie says of its scale. “I think anyone moving in here will have so many amazing summer memories.”
For Stephanie, the result was something more than professional satisfaction. “Seeing it come to fruition has been therapeutic,” she reflects. “I’m really excited to hand it over now.” That care, of wanting Ronny and Andrew’s last memory of this home to be it at its finest, permeates every decision she made. At 40 Pine Street, a century of Federation character and twenty years of bold contemporary vision have been quietly, thoughtfully reconciled. A home, at last, fully realised.
Watch the full interview with Stephanie Ferrara here.
‘Behind The Facade’ is your backstage pass to the world of architecture and homeownership. We go beyond the status quo to bring you candid conversations with architects and homeowners, discovering the inspirations, challenges and personal stories that breathe life into these structures. It’s architecture unmasked. Raw, authentic, and deeply human.