Interiors

This One-Bedroom Sydney Apartment Is Made For Entertaining

How do you entertain guests while living in a 50-square-metre apartment?

Interior design practice JAM have solved this small-scale living conundrum — without making any structural changes to the existing floor plan — in this Surry Hills apartment renovation.

The success of the project lies in the multipurpose island bench, that serves as the TV console and a banquette seat for the dining area. So, no more eating dinner on the lounge, instead this apartment can finally host guests comfortably!

Written
by
Amelia Barnes
|
Photography
by
|
Styling
by

Interior design studio JAM were engaged to unlock space in this 26-square-metre living area, without actually extending the floor plan. Estudiotres plate on table. Custom cushions by designed by JAM.

A hardworking island bench integrates seating to suit a small dining table. Ceramics by Kelly Brown Ceramics. Estudiotres plate on table.

What appears as white joinery in images is actually a subtle shade of pink that changes as the sun moves throughout the day.

Luxe finishes give the kitchen the feeling of an upscale hotel bar.

The apartment features outdoor terraces on either side of the living area.

HAY chubby vase. Dinosaur Designs jug.

Estudiotres bowl on left. HAY bookend and chubby vase. Dinosaur Designs jug.

Treetop views from the leafy bedroom.

Aphrodite alabaster bust from Mercer & Lewis. Art by Henryk Studio. Dinosaur Designs bowl. The Bespoke Linen Co bed linen. Custom cushions by designed by JAM.

Writer
Amelia Barnes
Photography
Styling
27th of February 2024
Interior designer
Builder
Location

Surry Hills, NSW/Gadigal Country

There’s plenty to love about this Surry Hills apartment that boasts 45 square metres of outdoor space on either side of the living area.

Inside, however, proportions were less desirable. The existing floor plan contained no space for an internal dining area, and the lounge was positioned with its back to the kitchen.

Interior design studio JAM were engaged to unlock space in the 26-square-metre living area, without actually extending the floor plan. The brief was to create three separate zones (living, dining, kitchen) that interact with one another.

‘The clients love to cook and entertain so making sure they could be in the kitchen while they had guests and still talk to one another was imperative,’ explains Jodie Gillman, director of JAM.

The solution — create a hardworking island bench with integrated seating to suit a small dining table.

A banquette seat provides a cosy spot for two that transitions into a bench seat or a place to position the television opposite the new lounge area.

When the doors are opened on either side, the apartment has the feeling of a rooftop bar. JAM played on this idea when designing the kitchen, which features esmeralda quartzite reminiscent of a luxe hotel.

The green of the stone and timber cabinetry also ties in with the apartment’s treetop views.

What appears as white joinery in images is actually a very light shade of pink that changes as the sun moves throughout the day.

‘The subtle pink joinery colour was decided on as both us and the clients didn’t want a standard white kitchen, but didn’t want anything to take away from the stone,’ Jodie says.

The renovation has completely changed the client’s lives, allowing them to entertain, work and relax in space.

Jodie says, ‘The apartment has a youthful light energy now and is a place you want to relax in.’

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