ELIZABETH BAY APARTMENT II

SITUATED IN SYDNEY’S EASTERN SUBURBS, THIS ONE HUNDRED YEAR OLD APARTMENT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY REWORKED BY ESTUDIOMOTIF* INTO A REFINED STUDY OF VOLUME, LIGHT, AND MATERIAL SIMPLICITY

THE ORIGINAL LAYOUT IS ROOTED IN EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY CONVENTIONS AND THE ORIGINAL ORNAMENTS HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY RESTORED AND HIGHLIGHTED. THE SPACE FEELS SIMULTANEOUSLY OPEN AND INTIMATE.

THE DESIGN LEVERAGES THE BUILDING’S GENEROUS PROPORTIONS. HIGH CEILINGS CREATE VERTICAL BREATHING ROOM WHILE LARGE ROOMS ALLOW FOR A SENSE OF CALM CONTINUITY THROUGHOUT. LIGHT IS USED AS A PRIMARY MATERIAL. IT POURS IN THROUGH REFRAMED OPENINGS, HITS SOFTLY TONED SURFACES, AND DIFFUSES GENTLY THROUGH EACH SPACE. THE PALETTE IS SUBTLE BUT DELIBERATE. WHITE AND NEUTRAL BASES ACT AS A STAGE FOR MOMENTS OF TEXTURE, VOLUME, AND QUIET SHADOW.

THE APARTMENT UNFOLDS FROM A CENTRAL HALLWAY THAT INTRODUCES A SHIFT IN MOOD. THIS CORRIDOR IS TONALLY DARKER, MORE ENCLOSED, AND LESS EXPOSED TO NATURAL LIGHT. RATHER THAN FIGHTING THIS CHARACTERISTIC, THE DESIGN EMBRACES IT. THE HALLWAY BECOMES A MOMENT OF PAUSE BETWEEN BRIGHTER SPACES. IT GROUNDS THE APARTMENT WITH A SENSE OF DENSITY AND RHYTHM, CREATING A TACTILE COUNTERPOINT TO THE OPEN LIVING AREAS.

EACH ZONE CONNECTS THROUGH THIS CENTRAL SPINE, REINFORCING A SENSE OF FLOW WITHOUT LOSING FUNCTIONAL DEFINITION. THE KITCHEN, LIVING, AND DINING AREAS FEEL EXPANSIVE YET CONTROLLED. BEDROOMS ARE PULLED BACK INTO THE QUIETER EDGES OF THE PLAN. NOTHING FEELS INCIDENTAL. EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DRAWN WITH INTENTION.

THIS PROJECT IS NOT ABOUT RESTORATION OR NOSTALGIA. IT IS ABOUT STRIPPING A SPACE BACK TO ITS ESSENCE AND THEN BUILDING IT BACK UP WITH CLARITY. ESTUDIOMOTIF* HAS CRAFTED AN INTERIOR THAT DOES NOT OVERSTATE ITS OWN MODERNITY BUT EMBODIES IT THROUGH DISCIPLINE, BALANCE, AND A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF HOW PEOPLE MOVE THROUGH SPACE.

LOCATION SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)

COMPLETED 2020

BUILDER EF

PHOTOGRAPHS SJ AND JOANNE LY