Darlinghurst Terrace is situated in inner-city Sydney, a home for an artist and a musician with an eclectic art collection and a love of heritage architecture. SCA completed an alteration and addition on the 19th Century two-storey terrace that includes a new open plan kitchen, dining area, hidden laundry, bathrooms on two levels and a courtyard garden.

The design was inspired by hexagonal tiles in various shades, along with a mix of geometries and textures that together helped distil the concept. There is a connection between the outside and inside with sliding doors in the dining room and kitchen and a large tilt-up door at the rear. The open plan space features a patterned floor of timber and tiles that define and delineate areas and a hardwood sliding screen that separates the kitchen from dining.

The hexagonal tiles appear in the kitchen splashback and floor and a brass kitchen benchtop folds down into a trapezoidal shape that mirrors the form of the tiles. The tiles have also been used in the flooring and walls in the bathrooms and combined with white gloss subway tiles, the result is a sparkling clean aesthetic.

Various timbers such as spotted gum and blackbutt have also been employed and this adds warmth and softness to the interior. Upstairs, four new vaulted skylights draw in the natural light and the interior of the terrace is now comfortable and bright whatever the season.

A feature of the interior is a custom-made ‘cabinet of curiosities’. The joinery of the cabinet with sliding glass fronts, LED lighting and beaten brass face panels is detailed and individual – a modern take on the Victorian idea to showcase myriad collectibles.

In keeping with the clients’ desire to honour the heritage of the original building, fireplaces, ceilings and cornices, the stair and floorboards were retained and restored.