00:04The cottage dates back to around 1849. This was built by the inmates of the
00:10nearby Darlinghurst jail to house the wardens. So it has a colourful past and
00:18it's had many iterations over the years. Most recently, just before me, was an
00:25active sex worker premises.
00:31The cottage is located in the vibrant inner city suburb of Darlinghurst here in
00:35Sydney. We're just one street back from Oxford Street, which is the iconic Mardi Gras
00:41parade route and we're surrounded by restaurants, cafes, bars and just a stone
00:46throw away from the Sydney CBD. My name is Sam Eggleton and I'm the founder of
00:52Convict Interiors based here in Sydney. This is my home and also my office. The
00:59renovation spawned my business.
01:05I live here with my very handsome man, Tarko the Tuxedo Cat.
01:19This is a fabulous community. This row of seven terraces, almost the seven dwarves. It's not
01:24uncommon for us to pop by with a bottle of wine on a Friday afternoon or catch the sunset
01:29over the skyline with a cocktail.
01:33I wanted to create a home that was warm and inviting and really welcomed in that rear to
01:39north aspect light. Using traditional materials in a tonal way really made the space not try to be
01:48something that it's not.
01:53When we first acquired the cottage it was dark, it was clinical, there was white shiny tiles on the
02:00floor, the dark pine ceiling and there's a rotting laminate kitchen.
02:07So the original floor plan you walk directly into living dining. There was a small pokey kitchen
02:12tucked into the rear wing extension and the bathroom and laundry combination. Quite impractical,
02:18with an upstairs loft bedroom. We moved the cook zone from the bathroom wing over to the central
02:25location of the kitchen, making use of an old storage cupboard. We added a kitchen island and
02:30that really tripled the usable workspace. We actually made the bathroom smaller but by removing the laundry,
02:38moving the shower to the end of the bathroom, really made for a more practical floor plan.
02:43And upstairs in the loft bedroom we found some extra space and we opened up and made use of that
02:47extra
02:47ceiling height. Looking from the street the facade is quite unassuming. You enter into the main
02:56living and dining which you can see straight out through to the courtyard.
03:02I work mainly from home so perched right in front of the window looking out to the street. I've got
03:08my desk so I can catch the greenery and the beautiful light.
03:13The blinds allow me to shut the bottom half off and still allow in light. It just allows for some
03:19privacy.
03:24The first thing I actually bought was this stunning artwork by my pal Xander Holliday.
03:28His fun use of shapes in the artwork and the pops of colour really influenced how I styled the property.
03:36Finding a scratching post that doesn't look like typical cat furniture really plays into the artwork
03:41in the living room as well.
03:44We've orientated the room to place the sofa underneath the stairs. It almost feels like the stairs are giving
03:50you a big hug. Under the stairs we discovered there was some unused space so we popped on a secret
03:58door
03:58and that's now become my shed. When we bought the place the fireplaces were actually boarded up.
04:06So we opened them up engaged a stonemason to match the sandstone on the front windowsill and it just
04:11creates a great place to store plants and artwork. In between the two fireplaces we've installed some
04:19custom joinery so this matches the kitchen and the bathroom upstairs as well. It just creates a space
04:26to store all of the entertainment unit items and electrical and hung above we've gone with the
04:31Samsung frame. It just makes it feel a little less like a tv and less imposing. We built in some
04:38custom
04:38shelving just out of MDF and painted it the same colour as the wall to really feel as though it's
04:44always
04:44been there and it's LED underlit so it creates some beautiful ambient lighting at night.
04:52The kitchen really connects seamlessly to the living space.
04:56This kitchen island really tripled the workable size of the kitchen.
05:03I made an intentional choice with the placement of the oven and the microwave
05:07into this side of the island so that it's more hidden from the living and the courtyard.
05:15What used to be a storage cupboard we've now turned into extra workable kitchen space.
05:23The drawers right below the cooktop keep the pots, utensils and the spices within easy reach.
05:33One of the showpieces in the kitchen in terms of materials is the kitchen splashback. So I've opted
05:39for a Moroccan handmade tile and they're intentfully irregular. So the pits, the tones and the various
05:47shapes catch the light at different times throughout the day. The area where the old kitchen stood has
05:55become the wash zone so it incorporates much needed but albeit a really teeny dishwasher we've got bins
06:01and coffee and smoothie prep area. The area above the sink presented some tricky roof lines and it was
06:09difficult to build in some concealed cabinetry. So what we did was opt for open shelves to store everyday items
06:17and pulled that same timber finish from the floor up into the shelving.
06:24In this thoroughfare we've also placed a pantry. It's slim but because of the drawers it's super functional.
06:32So where the washing machine was once in the middle of the bathroom we've relocated into a cupboard in
06:39this thoroughfare and because of this I've also been able to add a dryer stacked on top.
06:47There was previously a small acrylic skylight didn't let a whole lot of light in and there were security
06:54grills on that smaller skylight as well. Opening up that Rita North roof line just bathes this back
07:01part of the house in natural light all throughout the day. I've also got the ability to draw the shade
07:07to
07:08control the light throughout the day. This courtyard really is an extension of the living space.
07:17I use it all year round. We made the decision to colour block the exterior walls black. It's just
07:25such a striking contrast against the sandstone tiles and gives an illusion of enlargening the space.
07:34The bathroom is situated behind a pocket door in the rear wing of the property. A white on white
07:40bathroom can often present cold or clinical but we avoided this by choosing matte surfaces for the sink
07:47and the tiles. The copper fixtures throughout add warmth and they complement the accent stone tiles.
07:58An in-wall cistern toilet and wall hung vanity expose more of the floor tiles creating more open feel.
08:04Most importantly this created a spot underneath Patako's kitty litter tray.
08:12The stairs in the living room leads up to the generous king-sized loft bedroom.
08:18One night there was a massive leak in the ceiling. This led us to discover there was some unused and
08:23untapped space within the attic. So what we did when replacing the ceiling was we raised the original 1.9
08:29meter ceiling to a 3 meter cathedral style ceiling creating a sense of grandeur.
08:35I really love the contrast of the clean sharp lines of the new ceiling structure
08:40and the organic chimney stack and brickwork.
08:46On top of the architectural beams we installed some LED lighting which really up lights the space
08:52creating a sense of height. Being up in the loft it can get quite hot in summer. I searched high
08:59and low
08:59for a fan that would fit within the apex of the roof but I just found the absolute perfect one.
09:06Designing for this room's awkward shape we maximised the space and storage by building into the roof line.
09:13We actually reduced the size of the wardrobe providing some additional floor space in the bedroom.
09:19Down by the side of the bed bi-fold doors were a space saving alternative to traditional sliders.
09:28From the hanging space we actually installed some low drawers with open space on top to allow for as
09:34you enter up the stairs to see more of the roof line and create more of a sense of space.
09:44The Juliet balcony is a beautiful spot to catch the morning sun with a coffee
09:48and offers peak views of the Sydney skyline and the neighbourhood surrounds.
09:58When it comes to designing small spaces I really just had a look at
10:01myself as a person and how I actually want to use the space. So through that I created a list
10:07of all
10:08the features and functions that I'd like to incorporate into the property and then I really
10:12had to come up with creative solutions of how that's all going to fit within those four walls.
10:19Don't be afraid to shift, repurpose or reuse certain spaces because every millimetre counts
10:26and also you can't change the direction of the sun. So capturing as much light as you can with that
10:30aspect is just also so important in making a space feel bright and breezy.
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