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  • 18 hours ago
Limited by it's heritage status, Architect Brad Swatz designed this 27m2 space to accommodate vast amounts of internal storage. Simple panels allow light and air flow, opening the home up to city views. Hidden spaces and sliding walls creating a sense of luxury in a small space.

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Produced by https://newmac.co
Director: Colin Chee
Producer: Luke Clark & Lindsay Barnard
Camera: Colin Chee
Editor: Colin Chee
Transcript
00:00The design of the apartment was all about containing the amenities for life to the
00:04smallest possible area to provide a bigger space for living.
00:15The apartment's located in a building called Ballina which is an art deco 1920s heritage
00:21listed property. There's 27 units in this block. I first moved into this apartment at the beginning
00:29of 2014. When I got the apartment there was a little kitchen in its own separate nook. We decided
00:36it would be a good idea to put the kitchen in a living space and a bedroom where the kitchen
00:39was.
00:41The apartment was really designed for two people so the idea was that it would function like a
00:46one-bedroom apartment so the bedroom can be completely closed off. We have this little
00:51pocket window integrated into the storage wall so the idea is when you walk in the front door
00:57and that window's open you can still see out to the view and the apartment's significantly wider
01:02than just the width of the living space. We built the bedroom on a platform to delineate the space
01:09between the living and the sleeping area. That also allowed us to get plumbing to where it needed to go
01:15and install some shoe drawers. There's storage underneath the bed, there's storage on top of
01:21the bed and there's a little recess shelf which acts as a bedside table and has lights and power points.
01:28And those windows along with the windows in the living space were left in their original condition
01:33so the external facade remains untouched. Below the TV there's a little desk which can fold up
01:41and allows you to use the TV as a second monitor.
01:47And we included a 24 bottle wine storage cupboard. So we didn't want the kitchen to feel like a kitchen.
01:56We hid all the appliances including the oven behind a little pocket door. We put a drying rack above the
02:02sink so that you can put your dishes away to dry. We've got a blade wall which is made out
02:08of joinery
02:09and integrates a spice rack on the kitchen side. And as you come into the apartment that's got
02:14the intercom hidden away inside a little key shelf to put stuff on.
02:19So we completely hid the bathroom behind one of the sliding doors on the main wall.
02:24When we first got it there was a massive bath which we ripped out and was replaced with a shower
02:30and a washing machine.
02:32Good design is not only about making a smaller footprint work harder but it's also
02:38creating a really great quality of life and a sense of luxury in the tighter space.
02:44And inevitably that provides sustainable solutions for our cities.
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