Cushla McFadden, director of Tom Mark Henry explains that the minimalist conversion of this Darlinghurst home emerged from a fortuitous Google search! The Melbourne based client purchased the Sydney property, and searched for ‘architects Sydney’, discovered the Tom Mark Henry website, and were instantly drawn to their work. (A great reminder to ensure your SEO is up to scratch!)
Cushla describes how the redesign of the home reflects the aesthetics of the owner, who is a dedicated minimalist, ‘drawn to fundamentally simple and beautiful designs.’ She highlights the emphatic brief that ‘use of colour was not on the agenda!’ To enliven this neutral palette, the designers played with soft, matt and gloss textures to create intrigue and depth. ‘We loved the challenge of an almost all-neutral palette.’
The first intervention for this home was to bring natural light and a better spatial flow to the site. The architects opened up the ground floor, and converted an unused side passage into a dining area. Above, a 4 metre long skylight floods the space with a warm glow. The team also commissioned a solid oak 4 metre table to sit under the skylight, from furniture maker Jonathan West. Other specially selected items include the Fool Moon wall mount, and the No. 18 chairs in Golden Oak.
What strikes us most about this project is the sleek pairing of ultra-modern interventions, and rich layers of texture which hint at the history of this home. Cushla highlights ‘particular care was taken to retain the original character of the building.’ In fact, the renovation actually revealed and enhanced a number of incredible original details, such as the sandstone walls, and integrated these into the new scheme of oak timber floors and neutral finishes. Minimalism done right!
