Redfern House by Brace Design

Sitting in the heart of Sydney, Brace Design’s Redfern House sets out to adapt the classic inner-Sydney townhouse, breathing new life and considered creativity into the architectural style.

The first consideration when dealing with these townhouses is space. Not only how much of it there is, but how inhabitants flow through it. Townhouses often present bedrooms to the street, with kitchen, living and dining at the rear, usually opening up to a courtyard or backyard area. With Redfern House, Matraville-based design studio Brace Design didn’t set out to reinvent the wheel, but instead re-examined how the home is perceived. With limited space, the first consideration became the melding of aesthetic choice with practical functionality for the clients.

With Redfern House, Matraville-based design studio Brace Design didn’t set out to reinvent the wheel, but instead re-examined how the home is perceived.

Brace Design’s first step was to restructure the layout of the bedrooms. By adapting the smaller first bedroom into a walk-in robe, the entire front half of the house was reconfigured into something of a main suite by combining the main bedroom and bathroom. The solution to the displaced thoroughfare was to fix timber panels to the side of the hallway, concealing doors and stairs while offering a uniformity through the space. So, rather than intruding on a series of private spaces, guests are greeted with a long, art-filled entry corridor.

This reconfiguration of the front half of the house did however reduce the number of bedrooms, usually a major benefit to these long, linear townhouses. Taking advantage of the often-underutilised height these buildings are equipped with, Brace Design installed a new staircase in the hallway, leading up to a private and secluded guest bedroom in the roof space, complete with its own ensuite. The bedroom and main suite are coloured with soft hues and adorned with tactile textures to help denote them as distinct, private spaces.

The bedroom and main suite are coloured with soft hues and adorned with tactile textures to help denote them as distinct, private spaces.

Moving down from the corridor, one finds themselves in the very modern kitchen and dining area. The open plan of the back area is intentionally and meaningfully interrupted by a black grid, which helps to distinguish the change in floor height, allowing for a continued sense of movement between rooms in the area. Light spills into the space from both the skylight above the kitchen and the imposing glass doors to the rear of the building, bathing the room in light and highlighting the considered moments of deep colour. The space opens out onto the garden, which wraps along the side of the house, giving a sense of true openness that linear homes can often lack.

Though limited in space, Brace Design has struck a delicate balance between pragmatism and creativity. With strong visual ideas helping to solve practical considerations, the house opens up as one travels through it, revealing bits of its personality and language as you go.

Interior Design by Brace Design. Build by Green Anvil Co. Joinery by Nu-Space.