Gadi people of the Eora nation
New South Wales
Perched atop an Art Deco building in Elizabeth Bay, this top-floor apartment overlooks Rushcutters Bay. Previously compromised by 1980s renovations, its original foursquare layout had been split into two linear rooms, while bedrooms, hallway, and an untouched bathroom retained their generous proportions.
The redesign is a dialogue between preservation and invention. Entry and service areas retain scale while introducing spotted gum plywood walls, custom sand-cast brass handles, and generous storage. The living area opens to northern light via a skylight above a double-height void, its triangular geometry following an existing brick column. Steel beams were sleeved into the structure, and modern windows respect original mullion alignments.
Materiality—stainless steel, coloured glass, polished floors, and Lauren Brincat’s curtain installations—creates a restrained, tactile elegance inspired by Milanese apartments. Light, craft, and spatial finesse converge, transforming a compromised apartment into a contemporary, playful, and quietly sophisticated home.
