00:01You're about to view the 100th episode of Never Too Small.
00:05We thank you for your support and we hope you enjoy this episode and many more to come.
00:17The idea of rationalising everything into one joinery unit is a very reductive approach
00:22whereby we can shift everything to the boundary and create an open fluid space.
00:30The very simple material composition and detailing is related to my client's interest in a German
00:36designer called Nils Holger-Mormann where laminated plywood, laminate in various shades, are detailed
00:41in such a way that gives a very minimal aesthetic.
00:52This apartment is located in Rushcutters Bay in Sydney.
00:56Rushcutters Bay is right on the doorstep of Sydney City.
00:59It's a really special neighbourhood in that it's entirely walkable.
01:04This building was built in the mid-1960s.
01:09The apartment is a total of 27 square metres.
01:15Our client was most inspired by a previous project of ours called Tara.
01:20But the client also had a very distinct idea of how that design could be adapted for this
01:24space and for his needs.
01:28The original condition was very simple and a little bit tired.
01:33The only change that we made to the layout was to remove the original built-in cupboard that
01:37divided the entry door from the kitchen.
01:39The primary objective for this apartment was to conceal everything in a single unit.
01:46The new joinery insertion is arranged from kitchen through to general storage,
01:51a place to work, a place to sleep, which is overlapped by the television.
02:01The living room is defined by a simple sofa that faces the television.
02:01Upon entry, you're immediately into the studio space, with the bathroom being a separate
02:06compartment to your right. The living and dining is an open-plan space that feeds from the kitchen
02:11through towards the balcony. When my client moved from Germany to Sydney, he brought with him a
02:17dining table, a sofa, stools and dining chairs. The living room is defined by a simple sofa that faces the
02:24television. Once we had accounted for all of the functional requirements, there was no obvious
02:29space left for a television. So we conceived of a sliding panel that would conceal firstly the Murphy
02:35bed and secondly the office space. The handle for the Murphy bed is accessed by lifting up the fronts
02:42of the cabinets overhead and the cabinet fronts fall naturally back into position.
02:48The client who works entirely from home needed a substantial workspace.
02:53Concealed behind the sliding door is a niche containing a work from home office.
02:59The depth of the desk is greater than the depth of the bed, so it is required that it is
03:03a folding element.
03:06Next to the workspace, a secondary smaller work surface conceals the cable management system.
03:11A banner of overhead storage runs from the end of the pod at the Murphy bed all the way through
03:17to the
03:18overheads of the kitchen. A sizeable two-door wardrobe divides the kitchen from the office space.
03:27A combination sheer curtain and block-out curtain add a really warm and soft ambience to the space.
03:33The sheer curtain allows my client to filter light during the day and the block-out curtain
03:38is activated at sleeping and when my client wants that truly cinematic experience.
03:47The kitchen is a direct response to the functional requirements of my client.
03:52It's L-shaped and makes best use of where the existing services work.
03:58But also the need to integrate new and modern appliances.
04:02The kitchen contains a full-size flip-down dishwasher, an oven and induction cooktop.
04:08There is a concealed service cupboard for a hot water unit and for a meter and we have a sink
04:16with
04:17concealed bin storage. And there's also a full-size integrated fridge. Integrated LED lighting is
04:23fitted underneath the overhead cabinets in the kitchen. For an apartment of this size there is
04:28really ample clean work surface in the kitchen. Underneath the service cupboard is a slender cabinet
04:36access from the kitchen side for things like vacuum, yoga mat, backpacks. There's a neat scallop detail at
04:43the base of that cabinet which means that we can run cable for power to the table for a desk
04:49lamp or a laptop.
04:53A glass door divides the studio space from the bathroom and allows natural light to permeate
04:59through the bathroom window and into the studio. The bathroom is a very challenging space because
05:07it's very small at only two and a half square meters. The shower exists in a very small alcove so
05:14we
05:14employed a three panel folding shower screen system and when the panels are opened it means that the
05:21shower is a much larger compartment. The vanity is a wall mounted and floating unit and adjacent to
05:32that is the bathroom cabinet. The mirror is fitted to the back of the door so that the mirror is
05:37visible
05:38when the client is using the contents of the cabinet. All of the walls are finished in micro cement. There
05:45is a simple wall mounted light fixture directly above the basin and then a secondary tube light that emits
05:52a very bright light for showering. To rework an apartment such as this is to elevate the internal
06:01spaces to match that of the architectural intent of the original building. It then means that we can use
06:07outcomes such as this as a case study not only for other people in the building but also for future
06:13development.
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