Perfect Storm

by Killing Matt Woods

The project brief called for the re-design of an inner city warehouse conversion in Camperdown, for a couple seeking a minimalist lifestyle with an interior to match. The clients, who work in design-related disciplines, sought to shed their home of unimportant accumulation and create a space free of clutter and visual pollution. Conceived of as a “concrete bunker”, the shell of the apartment has been informed by the designer’s penchant for Brutalist architecture. The principal intent was the creation of a pared back, geometric interior and a celebration of the neighbourhood’s industrial heritage. The west-facing open plan apartment features a custom kitchen and a mezzanine bedroom which overlooks the living room space and small terrace. The loft is flooded with light from a full height, glazed wall, counterbalancing the interior mood, which is intentionally dark and brooding. All interior elements have been created as “raw and extruded concrete monoliths”, as seen in the fluted kitchen joinery, curved ceiling forms and the cement-rendered bathroom. A homely “mid-century” touch has been introduced in the form of film-faced plywood and American Oak joinery, brass accents and statement lighting. The furniture selection features geometric forms and a muted palette, underscoring the overall concept.