Linsley by Duet

Linsley has lived many lives. Before becoming a modern family abode, the 1830s terrace house, situated in Millers Point, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, was a haven for public housing.

Its current avatar is a far cry from its previous iteration, though some carefully preserved relics provide a welcome keyhole to the past. Interior designers Shannon Shlom and Dominique Brammah of the Sydney-based design practice Duet strove to bolster the bones of the heritage-listed property by restoring hallmarks that had faded over time.

Design interventions were dictated by heritage regulations, which specified the preservation of such original features as the copper wash tub, the stove in the underground sandstone kitchen, the staircase, bannisters and high ceilings.

In collaboration with Robert Lee Architects, Shlom and Brammah worked on reviving historic elements. Design interventions were dictated by heritage regulations, which specified the preservation of such original features as the copper wash tub, the stove in the underground sandstone kitchen, the staircase, bannisters and high ceilings. To afford these elements permanent pride of place, any new millwork was designed to be portable, allowing it to be replaced or removed as required.

As Shlom and Brammah explain, the intent was to bring the home into the present without undoing its past. Inside the kitchen – situated in the basement – the designers retained the old stone floor, complementing it with mottled off-white walls designed to reflect the dappled natural light. However, when it came to designing a subterranean living space next door, the designers faced several hurdles. Chief among them, Shlom explains, was peeling back the painted walls to reveal the original sandstone beneath. “We just kept hitting roadblocks, but the effort eventually paid off, and it’s become a lovely little indoor-outdoor sanctuary for hosting friends and family,” she notes.

Inside the kitchen – situated in the basement – the designers retained the old stone floor, complementing it with mottled off-white walls designed to reflect the dappled natural light.

Duet took strides to convert challenges into opportunities. One case in point is the windows, small by modern standards, which the practice counterbalanced in scale with large and luxuriant curtains. Similarly, the designers dovetailed heritage details with modern amenities, objets d’art and furnishings to inject a spirit of eclecticism. Although the fireplace surrounds throughout the home look original, none are. This is thanks to a sleight of hand by Duet, which recreated what they might have looked like in the 1800s.

The home can be likened to a snow globe. The front reveals painterly views of the Opera House and Fort Denison, while the rear looks out to the Harbour and the North Sydney skyline. “It’s also close to galleries, theatres, fine dining and nightlife, so there are many experiences to be enjoyed,” concludes Dominique.

Architecture by Robert Lee Architects. Interior design by Duet. Build by Dimension Constructions. Landscape design by Studio Rewild.