Horak family home

The building had originally been completed in early 1951 in the streamline Moderne style by owner-builder Alan John Blyth.

The Horaks were Holocaust survivors who emigrated to Australia from Slovakia in 1949. Olga’s home in Bratislava in the 1930s was finely decorated and may have influenced her choice of decoration in the Rose Bay home and the care with which it was maintained over seven decades.

The top floor bedrooms of the Rose Bay house consisted of furniture and built-ins commissioned by the Horaks soon after they moved in and made by the firm of émigré cabinet maker Paul Kafka. The ground floor living and dining spaces were renovated around 1969 by Polish-born architect Henry Kurzer with interior design and furniture by Décor Associates, introducing a hint of the modern baroque style. When photographed, the bathroom was little changed since first fitted out in 1951, and the kitchen had few additions following the 1969 rebuild. In addition, the interiors show a rich overlay of the Horak family’s ornament and paintings. Olga’s own paintings and sculpture, the latter influenced by English artist Henry Moore, are dotted around the house.

Olga Horak continued to live in the house until 2024. The house was photographed after Olga died and prior to sale of the contents at auction in December 2024. Some pieces of Kafka and Décor Associates furniture were purchased for the Caroline Simpson Library collection.

Photographer: Chris Bennett

Date Photographed: May 2024

Original image format: born digital

Credit line: Caroline Simpson Library, Museums of History NSW. Courtesy of the Horak Family. Photo © Chris Bennett.