Never one to shy away from a challenge, the first inspection of what would become home was exactly that. Dark, cluttered, altered beyond recognition and 3.8 metres wide. North-facing with a space for a car - the bones were good. Everything else needed work.

I wanted quality over quantity. A home for my daughters and I to enjoy inner-city life - together, but with room to retreat. Light, calm, considered materials. Storage that worked hard and surfaces that stayed clear. A courtyard to eat in, a kitchen that invited conversation, and no more footprint than the earth already gave us.

From the Street In

The facade told a familiar story - incongruous canopy, mismatched shutters, a replaced window with no relation to the terrace's Victorian-Georgian origins. We stripped it back, restored the ashlar render, reinstated the double-hung windows and repainted in a considered pink - drawn from the 1865 City of Sydney site map. Heritage became the project's first and most powerful design move.

Light as Architecture

The staircase before was a dark brick corridor. Light was the project's central ambition. Skylights, a first-floor void, open oak and brass balustrades - light now filters through the full height of the home. The transformation is structural and spatial, not cosmetic.

Making Every Square Metre Count

Flush oak joinery conceals everything - pantry, fridge, services, storage. The island works from both sides. Micro cement wraps the bathrooms in one clean surface. Every material is considered. Nothing earns its place without earning it twice.

Built for the Future

Fully electric, solar-powered, continuously ventilated. A Semper Green Wall attracts bees to the rear facade. The garage roof is planted. Demolition bricks became paving. Old floor joists became a courtyard bridge. What was cluttered and unusable is now a sunny, north-facing courtyard - and a home built to last.