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Sunni Hart, founder of Tender Spaces, speaks poetically about her family home in Balwyn North.
Designed by architect Alan Hough in the 1970s, the house was originally created for artist Bruno Leti: a prolific painter and printmaker with a deep sense of aesthetic and materiality. ‘You can really feel his influence in the design,’ says Sunni.
It was this history that attracted Sunni and her partner Peter Baxter, founder of Hope St Radio, to the property. After renting a 1970s Alistair Knox house in Eltham for years prior, the couple were seeking an equally special home to continue raising their two children Fox (11) and Dizzy (6).
‘We weren’t too attached to a particular area — we were open to moving for the right house,’ says Sunni. ‘It ticked all the boxes: mid-century, architecturally designed, across from a park, full of natural light and original details, plus it has a big studio out the back which I use for my practice.
‘We love the way the light moves through the rooms, the balance of open and closed spaces, the Daniel Robertson tiles — it all feels intentional. Functional and poetic. You can tell beauty and practicality were given equal weight in every decision.’
Sunni and Peter have styled the home to honour its existing character while making it feel like ‘them’. Their furniture balances aesthetics with day to day practicalities, ensuring the house always feels comfortable and safe for Fox and Dizzy.
‘It holds our rhythms, school mornings, dinner parties with friends, quiet moments with a book, piano singalongs, Nerf gun fights, and everything in between,’ says Sunni.
Peter is obsessed with a bargain, while Sunni will splurge on the perfect piece. Together, they balance each other out, resulting in a mix of design classics with secondhand finds and pieces made by talented friends.
Like the house itself, the palette is earthy but not neutral, incorporating warm tones of copper, red, moss, indigo, silver, and cream.
‘The kids move through the space like they own it, which feels important. It’s not overly styled, but it has personality. It feels multipurpose, open, and playful,’ says Sunni.
‘It’s a lived-in home with layers. A little eccentric, a little new age, with a few kooky shapes and unexpected details that give it personality.’
Sunni and Peter have collected several of Bruno Leti’s books, and have one of his artworks hanging in the dining room in homage to the property’s past. It’s a legacy the family are proud to uphold as the home’s current custodians.
Sunni says, ‘Living here, you really get the sense that the house was built to hold art and support a creative life.’
