A Sydney Warehouse Apartment With NYC Vibes

Homes

Ines English is self-admittedly ‘obsessed’ with her converted warehouse apartment, and it’s not hard to see why!

Located in the iconic 1915 Griffiths Building in Surry Hills, the apartment has been rented by the actress and student since mid 2020, alongside her partner, Caleb Harrower, tattoo artist and owner of Tattoo Rosies.

The couple fell in love with the apartment’s wide timber floorboards, original ceiling beams, and New York City feel, all of which have been a dream to decorate!

17th February, 2021

Custom tiled TV console by P0ly Designs. Tiled checkered plinth by Occasional Pieces. Painting by Otis Hope Carey, represented by China Heights. Blue twisted candle on books by Lex Pott. All other furniture pieces and objects (Wassily chair, dining chairs, fruit bowls, vases, dining table) are vintage. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

Tiled checkered plinth by Occasional Pieces. ‘I bought this for Caleb for his birthday present last year. My birthday is three weeks after his, and he was about to put an order in for the exact same plinth for me, but luckily I gave his to him first!’ says Ines. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

The proud renters! Caleb Harrower, tattoo artist and owner of Surry Hills shop Tattoo Rosies; and Ines English. actress, aspiring screenwriter and film director, and English literature and film studies student. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

Vintage table, dining chairs, fruit basket, coffee table, and armchair all sourced secondhand. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

The couch, coffee table, fruit baskets are all vintage. ‘I think the couch was custom made for someone in the ’70s as I have never seen another like it,’ says Ines. The crochet plant pot was a collaboration between Ines and her friend Julie from handwoven bag label Jibe by Juju. Red vase by Mud Australia. Acne Studios scarf. Tattoo flash sheet painted by renowned Sydney tattooer Bob Wood in the 1970s. Yellow ‘Tattoo’ sign by sign painter Nicholas Goodger. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

‘It’s such an exciting and inspiring space to work with,’ says Ines of their apartment. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

Vintage JAL 1959 travel poster. Red lamp by Kartell. Koala timber bookshelf. Secondhand pot plant and stool. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

‘We have just made it our own by having our personal touches everywhere, like Caleb’s tattoo memorabilia and my books which are scattered around the place. These elements really make it feel like home,’ Ines of her home. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

Vintage lamp and vase. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

The ‘Oranges’ artwork was painted by Ines’ dad, Mitchell English, in the ’90s in Italy. ‘Dad and I have made prints of them in small and large scale,’ Ines says. Pink ghost chair by Kartell. Bedside tables are vintage Anna Castelli Ferrieri for Kartell. Vintage Spanish hand embroidered shawl/ bed throw. Custom cushions. Vintage lamp and vase. Photo – Jacqui Turk. Styling – Jono Fleming

Lucy Feagins

Wednesday 17th February 2021

‘I want the space to be super inviting and fun when friends come over.’ – Ines English

Ines English and Caleb Harrower weren’t looking for a new rental when they saw this warehouse apartment being advertised, but upon attending the inspection, they knew they had to move.

‘It’s always been a dream of mine to live in a warehouse style apartment, so “warehouse conversion” was constantly in my search bar,’ explains actress and student Ines. ‘We were living in a terrace house in Paddington, and we really didn’t need or want to move, but I begged Caleb to go to the inspection with me to check it out… It’s the only place we inspected.’

The apartment is located in the 1915 Griffiths Building: a seven-storey warehouse in Surry Hills that originally served as a tea warehouse. The building was sold off for residential redevelopment in 2014, then converted into apartments designed by PopovBass Architects.

Ines’ parents were constantly moving and renovating houses when she was growing up, which has given her a natural knack for styling different spaces. ‘The windows and open-plan area with original architraves made this space so easy to style and decorate,’ she says.

To contrast with the existing white walls, Ines and Caleb have filled the space with bold yet cosy colour. ‘I want the space to be super inviting and fun when friends come over,’ Ines says. As the property is a rental, the couple have only been able to hang a few artworks with permission, so an eclectic mix of other design objects and vibrant furniture pieces essentially serve as art forms in themselves.

There are a few new items in the mix (such as the pieces from P0ly Designs and Occasional Pieces – captioned above) but most are secondhand gems, sourced from auctions. ‘My love of vintage and second hand comes from my dad, who’s a bit of a wizard in turning trash into treasure, and my mum has a knack of just blowing your mind by just placing the right things next to each other. I think this has made the interior atmosphere a little eclectic, but also thoughtfully put together,’ Ines says.

The location of this apartment is just the cherry on top for this creative duo, who can walk to Ines’ acting agency, Caleb’s shop Tattoo Rosies, and their favourite spots including Paramount House Hotel, Poly, Hollywood Hotel, and Chinatown.

Ines says, ‘We go days without leaving a 500-metre radius sometimes, which we are not proud of!’