This Brisbane Street property was eagerly awaiting someone to salute its former glory while updating it for contemporary lifestyles. This goal has been achieved in spades, setting the stage for a new chapter in its history.
The standout feature is the back extension. It is here that the home opens up into a cathedral style ceiling, adorned with striking black steel beams, large steel framed doors leading out to the gardens and finished with a polished concrete floor.
At the back of this generous extension, a salvaged brick feature wall, which was once the exterior of the original home, marks the point where history converges with the present. The worn timber tread from the original back door has been carefully restored and lovingly lacquered back to life. This step takes you from the big designer bones of the modern industrial extension and cleverly transitions you comfortably into the historical charm of the original section.
The kitchen is a collaboration of beautifully coordinated mix of colour and texture, all carefully proportioned to suit the vast living area. The combination of matt cabinetry in Polytec – Lava Ultramatt and featured hand-woven brass Oxford grilles, inserted into the side cabinetry, confidently frames the stunning Zellige mustard full height tiled splashback.
The antique brass hardware on the cupboards and drawers provides that rich pop of contrast next to the dark solid grey joinery. An impressive uninterrupted island bench, measuring over 3 meters long and 1.5 meters wide, stands stoic in the space. Constructed in a 40mm thick, White North from Silestone, the benchtop sweeps around 300mm curved edges mimicking the feature mustard Zellige tiles that clad the front and sides of the island.
The kitchen emanates a sense of elegance but with a relaxed and approachable flair. Every single element stands out with its unique appeal, yet together, they harmonise beautifully to create a cohesive and impressive space.
This renovation is a masterclass in adding both drama and quirky elegance, creating an environment that’s a tactile heaven and a delight for the senses. It’s peppered with carefully chosen vintage details: an amber fluted glass light fitting hovers over the island bench, cupboards clad in repurposed old wooden doors, there are touches of retro with velvet sofas, and an old claw bath factored into the vast new laundry dedicated for a dog wash only zone. Such bold eccentricity could easily overstep in design, but here every piece is thoughtfully selected, each with its own story. Once a house of rack and ruin, now a home that radiates both soul and sophisticated modern chic.
