In the foyer of this Mosman home, console from Yardware; vintage Gaetano Pesce resin vase; floral arrangement from Bess Paddington; platter by Toru Hatta from The DEA Store; Porta Romana Scallop Shell wall light from South Pacific Fabrics; Vaughan Greenwich Globe ceiling pendant from Domus Textiles; timber floor from Enoak.

Cast your mind back 20-odd years and try to remember what you were doing. It’s fair to assume you weren’t launching a fashion label fresh out of university. Yet in 2003, Bridget Yorston was doing just that, alongside friend and business partner Becky Cooper. Bec & Bridge—a mainstay in wardrobes from Sydney to Los Angeles—is now one of Australia’s most succes sful exports, this year celebrating 21 years in the notoriously fickle rag trade. So what’s the secret? “If I put it down to one thing, it’s our partnership,” Yorston reflects. “We’re so fortunate to have each other. And we both agree, we would never have done it alone.”

Coincidentally, it was roughly 20 years ago that this Queen Anne Federation home in Mosman was being renovated by Howard Tanner of TKD Architects. The house was originally built around 1910, and Tanner’s addition, an ultra-modern glass box at the rear, had breathed new dimension into the property. Fast forward to 2023 and Yorston could sense its potential. “When I walked in, I was struck by the scale and proportions of the rooms, it had this really nice feeling of space,” she recalls. “It was bathed in natural light, which I love.”

In the informal lounge, dining and kitchen areas, custom dining table by Chatsworth Fine Furniture; Dialogo dining chairs by Tobia Scarpa for Tacchini; custom sofa by Ambience Upholstery; bar stools and vintage Paolo Buffa armchair from The Vault Sydney; coffee table from Fleur Studios; kitchen joinery by Silhouette Kitchens; Chimney vases (on coffee table) by Suvira McDonald and Little Child Runnin’ Wild vase (on dining table, centre) by Issy Parker, all from The DEA Store; earthenware and ceramic vessels (on dining table and island) from Orient House; floral arrangement from Bess Paddington; vintage floor lamp from 506070; tapestry (in hallway) from Cleo Collects; vintage rug from Behruz; floor in Aren Bianco limestone from Onsite Supply and Design.

As a designer who nearly chose interiors over fashion, Yorston understands foundations. “The structure was there, it was a matter of stripping it back and starting again,” she says. Featuring touchstones of the early 2000s—downlights, anodised aluminium joinery, ceiling fans—it had lost its turn-of-the-century charm. And she knew exactly how to reclaim it, fittingly, via another formidable female design duo. A long-time admirer of Sydney studio Handelsmann + Khaw, Yorston had already approached Gillian Khaw and Tania Handelsmann to work on her former home, but then she changed tack and purchased her current property.

In the formal lounge, custom sofas by Ambience Upholstery; Alanda coffee table by Paolo Piva for B&B Italia from Space Furniture; French armchair from The Vault Sydney; cushions from Fortuny; Twisted Wood Fired vase (left) by Suvira McDonald, Layers #3 vase by Elena Strohfeldt and Shigaraki plate by Tetsuya Kowari, all from The DEA Store; vintage Persian rug from Behruz; Silk Cesendello floor lamp from Fortuny Venezia; custom wall sconce by Ferro Artistico; The Lake Dried Up and All the Fish Died (2019) artwork by Jason Phu from Chalk Horse.

“It was a very Sydney challenge,” says Gillian Khaw. “Often these cottages have a modern extension out the back, which has a completely different scale and lines.” Essentially two houses in one, finding a harmonious solution was key. Luckily for Yorston, reinstating the grandeur of heritage architecture through a contemporary lens is Handelsmann + Khaw’s forte, and the studio rose to the occasion.

While there is arguably no natural meeting point between Federation and early-aughts minimalism, Khaw found creative ways to balance the tension between the two in the year-long project. “It’s hard to make a Mies van der Rohe box look like it’s related to a Federation house,” she admits. “I think the first instinct is to dumb it down—paint everything white and contemporise everything because it’s easy,” she explains. “But we wanted to test ourselves.”

Describing Yorston as the dream client—receptive, collaborative and open-minded—Khaw says it was a match made in heaven. “I didn’t expect that with a creative—they [often] come to the table ready with their own ideas.” Calling Yorston an “old soul”, Khaw leaned into “a European vibe”, bringing warmth and rusticity to the interiors through a muted and romantic palette. “Bridget’s a powerhouse,” she says. “She’s a successful businesswoman with three children who does it all wonderfully and calmly, so our brief was to provide a retreat from her otherwise hectic life.”

Crucially, the design nods to both eras, but doesn’t try too hard to converge the two. “She loves Rose Uniacke—that ‘London austere, but classic’ look done in a minimalist way,” Khaw says of her client. Yorston refers to it as “London at the front and LA to the back”, where the Federation portion embraces ornate mouldings and arched passageways, and the rear’s angular modernity has been softened. “It’s not an elegant metaphor, but it’s a mullet haircut—different in the back, but in the chicest way!” says Khaw.

In the powder room, custom basin, vanity top, splashback and skirting in Rosa Tea marble from Granite & Marble Works; handmade tapware from Turkey; vase from Orient House; Porta Romana Clam Shell wall light from South Pacific Fabrics; floor tiles from Olde English Tiles.

Khaw relished pushing Yorston’s boundaries around materiality, particularly in the kitchen, where liberal use of stainless steel brings a slick, slightly clinical edge to the area. “Initially, I was like, ‘Is it going to feel too cold and modern?’” says Yorston. “But it’s got such a beautiful, soft ambience.” Khaw loved upending expectations, explaining how most clients would instinctively reach for statement marble in the kitchen. Besides, flipping the script meant they could layer luxurious slabs of Calacatta Monet in the main bathroom, for a “hotel suite feel”, and splash Rosa Tea marble playfully around the powder room.

With interiors that whisper rather than shout, every design element needed to hold its own. “We wanted to furnish the house quite minimally,” says Khaw. “Lighting is a great way to say a lot in an under-the-radar way.” From vintage Murano lamps and Porta Romana clam shell sconces, to custom wall decorations from Ferro Artistico, lighting plays a sculptural role in every room of the home.

In a guest bedroom, custom bedhead by Ambience Upholstery; bedside table from Naturally Cane; custom desk by Handelsmann + Khaw; chair from The Vault Sydney; bed linen from Cultiver; curtains produced by Simple Studio; seagrass floorcovering from Natural Floorcoverings; lamps from Rosi de Ruig; custom lampshades from Fortuny; ceiling pendant from Anna Charlesworth.

For a designer so adept at collaborating, Yorston as the client operates uncannily alone.“ My husband had zero [input]—not a single opinion,” she laughs. “Even when I bought the house, he hadn’t set foot on it!” Turns out, she can do things alone.