Playfully Elevated – Potts Point Penthouse by Jillian Dinkel

As a pied-à-terre for an adventurous client, Potts Point Penthouse draws from the traditionally art deco origins of the building the home is located within and mixes it with personal expression. Jillian Dinkel focuses on manifesting an elevated luxury through materiality and detail, which is coupled with a playfulness of form to sculpt an enviable compact abode in inner Sydney.

Sydney serves as both a connected hub and a centrally ideal place to touch down occasionally for longer periods. While the owners of Potts Points Penthouse may not reside in the city permanently, creating a nook of their own was an ideal compromise. Located in the hub of Sydney, close to the water and many surrounding harbours, Potts Point has a European sensibility through its density and sense of community present, while its closeness to so many landmarks is a reminder of place. The small residence is given a contemporary enlivening through an interior redesign that retains the charm and character of the existing building, while injections of personality from its owners lend it a personal flair. Jillian Dinkel worked closely with the clients to ensure the space both fittingly responded to the architecture and those who live within.

The art deco architecture plays a prominent role in the resulting approach and the geometries used, reflecting a similar vein of experimentation used in that era.

Potts Point Penthouse was built by Prekaro Projects. By selectively working within the existing extents of the home, the main impact comes from the redesign of the internal elements and their curation to align with how the spaces are used and how they intercept. The art deco architecture plays a prominent role in the resulting approach and the geometries used, reflecting a similar vein of experimentation used in that era. Due to the tightly woven floor plate, integrating storage and ensuring joinery was both functional and decorative were key. The approach centred around both respecting the older elements and allowing the new to sit as a complementary addition. An curated selection of unexpected shapes fills each of the spaces, sitting sculpturally to add focal points of interest.

Entertaining formed a key part of the brief, and each area needed to allow for gatherings and to sit comfortably as a place of retreat. The kitchen, as in many contemporary homes, becomes a central gathering space, and therefore needed to be elevated to respond to both the location and to the rest of the residence. Warmth is brought into the predominantly white palette using timber joinery by Navan Bespoke Sydney, adding a textural diversity in the process. Expressive stone sheets add a touch of drama and speak to a longevity and timelessness, while being decorative in their own delicate way. The bathroom evidences a similar approach, carrying through the tones and textures.

The kitchen, like many contemporary homes, becomes a central gathering space within the home, and as such, needed to be elevated to respond to both the location and to the rest of the residence.

As a continuing relationship between designer and client, Potts Point Penthouse is the first of multiple projects already in the works, lending additional meaning to this design. Jillian Dinkel weaves the beginnings of a legacy through this project, working with the period bones of the building while responding to the personal characteristics and passions of the clients.