00:03We wanted to create a space that reflected who we were, so you know we're
00:10not like extravagant. We live reasonably simply. We were after an interior that
00:17incorporated both a sense of playfulness and a sense of calm. So I suppose it's
00:25a reflection of our personalities and what we like. My name is Ben. I'm an
00:31architect at Sam Crawford Architects. I live in this apartment with my partner
00:35Raffaella.
00:44The apartment is located in Stanmore in the inner west of Sydney on the lands of
00:48the Gaddy people. The building is located close to public transport as well as to
00:54where I work, only a short 15 minutes walk. It is also close to King Street and
00:59Enmore which has great restaurants and nightlife. The building was built around
01:04the 1970s and has always been a residential building. It is a typical red
01:10brick three-story walk-up that proliferated in Sydney in the late 20th century. The
01:17building contains one and two-bedroom apartments with each floor containing two
01:21apartments. When we first found the apartment, it was a typical one-bedroom
01:271970s layout. The apartment has several compromising features that were immutable.
01:33It had low ceilings, the balcony and living spaces did not receive sufficient
01:38sunlight and the ensuite door in the bedroom was in an awkward position. My goal for the
01:45renovation was to create an open plan living kitchen and dining while still
01:49creating distinct zones for each. I removed the kitchen wall to create an
01:54open living kitchen and dining. To support the wall of the unit above me, I had to
01:59install a steel beam in the ceiling requiring a lowered ceiling in the
02:03kitchen and dining space. In the bedroom, I squared off the floor plan in order to
02:08create a more usable space and I moved the bedroom door about 200 millimeters in
02:13order to allow for sufficient space for the new robe joinery. In the ensuite, I
02:18swapped the location of the toilet and the basin so that from the bedroom you do
02:22not see the toilet. When you enter the apartment, if the bedroom door and
02:28bedroom window curtains are open, you are greeted by the greenery of the trees
02:31outside the bedroom. I liked how the existing floor plan had an entry sequence
02:36that did not immediately open into the living space. There is a hallway with storage
02:40joinery that we updated with new cupboard fronts and shelving. We added a niche in
02:46laminate and terrazzo for the placing of keys and small objects and to help bring
02:51natural light into the hallway. The living space is bookended by the back of the
02:57entry hallway joinery wall and the balcony. The height of the space is
03:01magnified by the ceiling's lack of fixtures. Despite the living space having a
03:07lack of sunlight, a sense of light and space is enhanced through crisp white walls and
03:12ceilings and clean detailing to wall, ceiling and floor junctions. We wanted to
03:17keep the furniture light and airy. There's a two-seater sofa, a mid-century
03:22parka rocking chair and a sculpted stool which was passed down from Raph's grandfather.
03:29To maximise the sense of space in the living room, I move the light fixtures from the ceiling
03:34to the wall. This also creates a nice soft light in the evenings.
03:41The kitchen dining space is delineated via a curved lowered ceiling which conceals a new
03:46steel beam. The gentle sweep of the ceiling guides you from the living space into the kitchen
03:51dining area. The blue-green laminate joinery and terrazzo bench and splash back provide a natural
03:58calming and cool colour palette that contrasts with the warm black buck timber flooring.
04:04A combination of open shelving and cupboards and drawers provide opportunities to highlight
04:09beautiful objects and small pot plants and provides ample storage. The curve of the ceiling
04:15is referenced in other subtle curved gestures including the open curved shelving and joinery handles as well
04:21as the selection of the dining pendant. Tending to and collecting plants is one of my hobbies
04:29so having a balcony allows us to place some plants outside giving us a nice outlook from the living spaces.
04:39My partner is a light sleeper so it was important to be able to close down the bedroom during the
04:43night
04:43transforming it into a calming cocoon. The room features a full height sliding door,
04:49full height curtains and the hidden joinery door leading to the ensuite. The closing of each of
04:55these elements has become a nightly ritual preparing us for sleep. These floor to ceiling features
05:01additionally amplify the height of the space despite the ceiling being less than 2.4 meters high.
05:08The white surfaces allow the beautiful gum tree outside the generous bedroom window to become the focal point.
05:14A by-product of the new beam in the kitchen meant a bulkhead had to be introduced in the bedroom.
05:18A ledge was formed for placing small plants and objects and the same curved motif from the kitchen
05:23was used to unify the spaces. The entry from the bedroom to the ensuite is hidden in a joinery panel.
05:31The bathroom wall is built out to accommodate a medicine cabinet flush with the wall, a concealed cistern
05:37and a shower ledge. Floor to ceiling finger tiles and terrazzo floor tiles allow the bathroom space
05:43to be distinct from the laundry space which is splashed in yellow laminate. The bold pop of yellow
05:49in the afternoon is bathed in beautiful sunlight and provides a sense of joy whilst doing the otherwise
05:54mundane task of laundry. I believe it is important to allow the variations of life whether it be straight
06:03lines, curves, largeness and smallness to permeate through the design. Ensuring that every aspect
06:10of daily domesticity whether it be coming home and having a place to set your keys, waking up and
06:14opening the curtains, doing the laundry is enhanced by the design is important to ensure mundane dark
06:21spaces can be transformed and provide delight to their occupants. The concept of degrowth is fundamental
06:28for sustainability and the survival of our planet and the species within it. It is not possible to
06:34continue on our current trajectory of exponential economic growth in tandem with our growing population
06:39and the world's finite resources. Forty percent of the world's carbon emissions come from building
06:45construction. We need to slow down the cycle of demolition and construction and allowing for reimaginings
06:51of existing building stock.
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