2011 Gallery

The brief for this renovation project was more like a question. It asked just one thing of the designer - to make the apartment a great place to live for a young family. In this instance the family he was designing for was his own. This seemingly simple request understates the complexity of this clever little project. At just thirty-eight square metres this is a very small apartment. In real estate parlance it would be called "petite." The apartment has good bones courtesy of Harry Seidler, the architect of the original building. The insertion of a single block of new joinery that runs the full length of the space simultaneously gathers up all the stuff, creates places to sleep and generates a new, more generous spatial arrangement. The outcome of this renovation is an apartment that offers a practical solution to high-density family living. At the same time it also makes a statement about our lifestyle expectations and their impact on the environment. In a final nod to the real estate agent, the apartment might now be described as "bijou" rather than "petite." From the Houses Awards jury.