HOPEWOOD

This apartment was renovated to sell. Not knowing the future homeowners, we worked towards creating a calm, beautiful space which exposed all the views on offer and was simultaneously warm, comfortable and homely.

The original apartment had many small rooms and large swathes of brick wall blocking the best views. During the design stage we established that the concrete exoskeleton of the building was the only required structure. This allowed us to remove all the walls from the living wing, internal and external. During construction, the new windows were boarded up and all the surfaces covered and protected. When the project finished and protection came off the glass, we were absolutely gob smacked by the views revealed. 

Level eleven of the building is the perfect height to be intimate with the ground interface but elevated enough to see from the City and Opera House to North Sydney, North Head and back to Point Piper - all at once. It is like being inside the horizon, half way between the sea and sky.  

The view is extremely powerful and all encompassing, so we opted to use very few bold architectural elements to define spaces, frame views and avoid competing with the incredibly unique quality of the space.

We used earthy, soulful finishes such as travertine, timber, rich marble and intricate detailing to bring a sense of nostalgia and permanence to the spaces. Being elevated and glassy, the apartment needed a counter point to introduce internal sophistication and groundedness.

The previous owners had fond memories of family times spent on the small, inboard balcony. The obvious architectural move to simplify and de-clutter the main living space was to remove this balcony but we understood the desire to be outside, so we concluded that the whole living area should open up to become an indoor / outdoor room. 

The north facing aspect is perfect for capturing sun all day. Sunrise, sunset and everything in between are visible from this one room, which becomes a live theatre of light and activity.

Traditional custodians: The Gadigal people of the Eora Nation

Photography: Tom Ferguson

Styling: Jack Milenkovic

Team: Madeleine Blanchfield and Alex Prichard