Darlinghurst Residence

by Richards Stanisich

This building was constructed in 1890 as a two level residence with an integrated horse stable on ground floor. Over time the building evolved with many different uses and functions and now consists of three levels; the top two of which are a single residence. With an awkward triangular floor plan, our design intent was to unveil the charm of the original building and resculpt the interior for a family of four. In an area like Darlinghurst, characterised by row terrace houses, this building started like no other and has continued over time to become even more unusual. We saw enormous character in this history and wanted the new design to effortlessly settle in beside these old bones.

Space was rationalised and the floor plan reworked; without a dining room we created a built-in banquette seat for a kitchen family table, the front entry seemed to fall into the lounge room so we designed a glass enclosed vestibule and we used colour to create a sense of intimacy and provide separation between spaces. The garden terraces are in the middle of the plan and therefore fundamental to the interior experience. We readdressed the way the gardens are experienced by framing outlooks with new French doors and creating new windows from the kitchen.

This building contains generations of changes to an already unusual typology – a triangular site, no room is square, no window the same. Our design adapts the building for a new user but deliberately keeps a little unclear what is new and what’s old and what, if anything, was original.