Kirribilli Downsize Apartment | TSAI DESIGN

The Owner bought the apartment many years ago as a young married couple. For the past decades, they have maintained this apartment as a rental property while residing in their spacious four-bedroom standalone house with a garden and backyard with their daughter. However, with their daughter moving out, they've made the exciting decision to downsize and go back to their first apartment. Their choice was influenced by the unbeatable convenience of its location – just a short walk from the city via the Harbour Bridge – and the ease of apartment living, with no backyard to maintain.

The existing apartment has a challenging long and narrow layout, with some areas as slim as 3 meters. It is surrounded by neighbouring buildings on the western side, necessitating the use of blinds for privacy most of the time.

To maximize the apartment's functionality, we divided it into two distinct sections: the front half designed for open living, and the back half serving as the private quarters.

In the front, our goal was to create a welcoming and sunlit open-plan space, perfect for entertaining friends and guests. We achieved this by removing walls that once separated the dining area, kitchen, and corridors, resulting in one continuous open area. The centrepiece of this space is a striking triangular kitchen island, suspended above the floor and adorned with elegant marble, making a bold statement the moment you enter the apartment. This innovative island design seamlessly extends into the bathroom, where it transforms into a vanity, blurring the boundaries between spaces. To ensure natural light filters throughout, we've incorporated frosted glass in the bathroom, allowing western sunlight to grace the entire apartment.

The back half of the apartment is dedicated to private living. What used to be two bedrooms have now been reimagined into a single bedroom, a versatile rumpus room for personal relaxation, and a well-placed study nook along the perimeter, strategically positioned along the perimeter of the private rooms, to act as buffer from neighbouring prying eyes. The rumpus room offers a serene retreat complete with an upright piano and a cozy reading nook – the perfect space for quiet moments of relaxation.

Architect: Tsai Design

Project Delivery: Amandine Simonetti

Builder: Next Level Construction

Stylist: CoffeyHallett

Photographer: Clinton Weaver

Website: https://www.clinton-weaver.com/Stylist: CoffeyHallett