Paddington Home By Claudia Lambert Interiors
Claudia Lambert Interiors reimagines a heritage Paddington terrace in colour and form—where pink meets restraint, and the tension between soft and strong becomes the home’s heartbeat.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos HANNAH BLACKMORE Interior Design CLAUDIA LAMBERT INTERIORS
The open plan pastel pink hued kitchen leads out to the courtyard.
Arched steel framed doors frame the courtyard and living spaces.
‘To balance the femininity, I grounded the design with organic, more brutalist elements,’ says Claudia Lambert.
“The tension between soft and strong became the home’s heartbeat, setting the rhythm for colour and materials.”
The kitchen, living, and outdoor zones now connect through a seamless spatial sequence.
Cosmopolitan quartz stone from Gitani Stone.
‘Colour was central to the design, the clients wanted pink to be a thread through every room,’ says Claudia Lambert.
Large artwork by Andrew Farmer, small artwork by Helen Smith.
The project’s strength lies in the clients’ courage—their willingness to embrace colour and materiality with confidence. That trust allowed the home to become something both bold and deeply personal.
In Sydney’s inner east, an 1800s Paddington terrace has been reimagined by Sydney-based studio Claudia Lambert Interiors into a home that feels both rooted in its history and alive with personality.
Home to a professional couple and their two middle-school-aged children since 2013, the house had evolved with the family over the years—but by 2025, it was ready for a complete transformation that reflected how they live now.
‘The brief was clear: maximize space and storage, create new living areas, and give the house a design identity that reflected the family’s style,’ explains Claudia Lambert. ‘My vision was to create a home they would “pinch themselves” walking into—a place that honoured its heritage bones while embracing a sense of fun and glamour.’
The original terrace needed careful restoration to suit a contemporary lifestyle, both in structure and in day-to-day function. Claudia reinforced the framework, introduced new air-conditioning and dehumidifying systems to tackle the typical terrace issues of moisture and poor ventilation in heavy weather, and reconfigured the plan for better flow. A former storage basement became a true subterranean living level, while the kitchen, living, and outdoor areas now read as one connected sequence.
Colour sets the rhythm with baby pink threading through every room, ‘Colour was central to the design, I explored this in layers, through stone (pink quartzite, Cosmopolitan quartz, and Viola marble), and with a sophisticated graduated pink paint palette. To balance the femininity, I grounded it with organic, more brutalist elements: the Odditi coffee table, sculptural kitchen stools, and a bold mirrored bedhead in the master. The tension between soft and strong became the home’s heartbeat.’
Art served as the project’s compass. Claudia always begins with artwork to define tone and material direction—this time collaborating with clients who embraced her instinctive process. The pieces range from Elliot Routledge’s LOVE artwork to an ethereal gradient canvas by Amelia Axton. ‘Their enthusiasm made the process collaborative and dynamic,’ Claudia reflects. ‘Even the children had a strong voice, knowing exactly what they loved and what they didn’t. Their involvement made the result even more personal.’
The heart of the home is the kitchen—the backdrop to breakfasts and homework, but also the place where Claudia’s material ambitions crystallise: the island becomes a sculptural anchor; storage and circulation are resolved with clarity; light and sightlines stitch the space to dining and garden.
At its core, Cosmopolitan quartz takes the lead—the moment Claudia had been waiting for. ‘I had been longing for the right project to use Cosmopolitan quartz, and here it finally found its place,’ says Claudia. Around the statement surface, the palette deepens: graduated pink cabinetry continues the home’s thread; steel and timber lend structure; and assertive hardware, stools, and art bring a confident edge, so the room reads playful yet composed.
‘Paired with expressive lighting and layered art, the space truly sings. What I’m most proud of, though, is how brave the clients were with colour and material choices—their trust allowed the house to become something both bold and deeply their own,’ adds Claudia.
