The top-floor Bondi apartment of architect Kelvin Ho (pictured) and partner Jacqueline Perrett. Photo: Jennifer Soo
Sydney architect Kelvin Ho and his fashion PR girlfriend Jacqueline Perrett are about to become parents for the first time. Their priority is to get their two-bedroom, top-floor Bondi apartment ready for their new permanent guest.
"A home needs to be like an elastic band and stretch in whatever way your lifestyle takes you," says Ho. "My apartment has transformed and developed as I've grown into a man and an architect. It's been like a constant, flexible best mate. Once again, my apartment needs to fit a new chapter in my life, and with its successful track record I know it will."
Ho bought the property in 2000 when he was still at university. The 1950s apartment was boxy, so he knocked out walls and extended the height of doorways to optimise the light and views of the Pacific.
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In his work at Akin Creative, Ho creates retail spaces with a focus on clean, minimal aesthetics – the hallmark of his style at home, too. But he has had to make compromises. "The apartment went through a new transformation when I fell in love with Jacqueline, who embodies the boho feel," he says. "She enjoys knick-knacks, making cups of tea and being more homely." Before Ho knew it, they were "nesting" and slowly introducing rugs, artwork and vintage furniture.
Ho says he hopes that his child will one day remember the home as being "adventurous and forgiving, with a strong sense of story and an environment that was never too precious".
Photography: Jennifer Soo
