Inside a Potts Point aparment with French flair to spare
Wendy Moore shares kitchen designer Dominique’s home. It’s packed with clever ideas to steal, and you don’t need to head to France to get the look - although, let’s be honest, it couldn’t hurt!
Photography Omid Photography Styling Susie Laidlaw/Wigwam Design
If you ask kitchen designer Dominique Adams, 60, what’s great about her apartment in Potts Point, NSW, you better grab yourself a cuppa and settle in. This self-confessed perfectionist is completely in love with her home. “It’s absolutely beautiful. I get joy everywhere I look, but part of my joy is finding those right chairs to go with the dining table, or choosing the right little light for that spot,“ she says with a smile.
It’s more than perfectionism - this wonderfully unique home is an expression of all the things Dom loves, each item thoughtfully selected and every design decision made with liveability and functionality in mind. How can it be, then, that it is also brimming with French antiques and handmade artefacts, each imbued with special meaning? “I like things that are so relaxed that if something breaks, you don't worry about it,” says Dom. “I’m not precious. I don’t need all the glasses to match.”
I first met Dominique in my role as editor at Home Beautiful, when her budding kitchen design company Provincial Kitchens, was set to become a reader favourite. Years later, she was the person I called to finesse my own kitchen design, where we added her own ideas and touches - for which I am eternally grateful!
“What drew me to this apartment was that the bones were really good. It has herringbone floors, iron doors, high ceilings and detailed skirting boards,” says Dom. But there were certainly changes to make, particularly in the kitchen and bathrooms.
Dom has recently decided to embark on the next chapter of her life with some big travel plans, and has listed her stunning home for sale. “I want to have a bit of an adventure now. I've worked really hard for a long time,” she explains. I can’t wait to see where she lands next - a villa in Italy, perhaps? I’ll definitely be following that journey!
KITCHEN: Naturally, for kitchen designer Dom, the kitchen was the biggest change. Now, the kitchen invites you in via a beckoning island bench, ideal for a chat, with everything a guest could need within easy reach. Like platters artfully displayed in a narrow rack or myriad glassware - all beautiful, few matching - easy to spot; “Everybody just participates and helps themselves and it just makes things so easy,” she says. Dom used VJ-look panelling from James Hardie behind the cooktop - fire resistant, she notes - and sampled around 80 colours before settling on Half Strength Cut Glass. “I just knew when I saw it,” said Dom. It picked up on the hues of the living room artwork perfectly. She hates looking at appliances, so you’ll see none but the oven, and couldn’t go past a classic French inclusion – marble benchtops.
LIVING: Serene and spacious, the living room stars pocket doors that can be completely tucked away, allowing the space to feel much larger (and open up to those Harbour views) - and making it an entertainer’s dream! “I find it a joyful place to be. And I absolutely never get tired of that view,” says Dom. She created a custom TV cabinet with doors that feature intricate artwork from French artist Aurelie Alvarez. In a previous business endeavour, Dom would source French antiques and occasionally bring something home for herself - like this curvaceous couch. She recommends trying Lydie du Bray Antiques in Breamar, NSW Southern Highlands and Vickers & Hoag Auctioneers for sourcing antiques locally, but says it’s much cheaper to go to flea markets in France. Of course!
BATHROOM: The bathroom was hideous, says Dom, who has a particular dislike for its original colour, mustard. “It’s a hard colour to deal with at the best of times,” she says with a laugh. She knew she had to update it, but “doing work in an apartment building is really hard because you disrupt so many people's lives.” So she found creative solutions that alleviated the need for a bothersome renovation, such as laying 5mm hexagon marble tiles over the existing tiles, and covering the mustard walls with James Hardie wall panelling. Dom also installed a new cabinet, but “I just used the same water points so that I didn't have to change anything.”
