The penthouse of an historic Newtown building in Sydney’s Inner West has been given a stylish makeover by its interior designer owner, who preserved much of its character. The end result is a unique and spacious open plan home which tells the fascinating stories of its past.
Alexandra Grisedale is an interior designer based in Sydney and the Illawarra, who loves to mix secondhand finds with contemporary design. This penthouse was the perfect project! Built in 1887, the building was originally called Odd Fellows Hall. It was a part of Manchester Unity, a kind of meeting place for both men and women. Later converted to a perfume factory that burnt down in the eighties, it was then converted into a series of Bauhaus inspired apartments.
“We bought the penthouse, gutted it and renovated it,” says Alexandra. “We decided to embrace the site’s history, exposing and leaving the original burnt beams as a key design feature, leaving the history on show. We polished the existing concrete floors and exposed the concrete ceiling on the lower level. We designed custom pieces for this unique space with local artisans and fabricators from industrial elements like wrought iron, plywood and recycled plastic. We then mixed these with vintage and contemporary lighting and furniture, to create tension in the space with a sustainable approach at heart.”
She has been living in the three-bed apartment with her fiancé and their three-year-old son while they build their dream forever home in Thirroul. “The penthouse hadn’t been updated since it was first converted in the eighties. The space was screaming out for a new life, and we saw the potential to transform it into something truly special. We wanted to embrace the building’s history while making it functional and reflective of modern living.”
Their favourite space is the 120 sqm open-plan kitchen, living and dining room. “It opens out to a wraparound balcony with uninterrupted, tree-topped views of the surrounding districts. With windows on three slides, its five-metre-high pitched ceilings, and being the most historical part of the home, it’s where we love to spend most of our time with family and friends.”
The biggest change was the kitchen, which originally measured just 4×3 metres and was enclosed by an outdated bar. “We completely opened up the space and transformed it into a modern kitchen that now features 12 metres of custom plywood joinery, stained in a rich walnut. This joinery not only houses the kitchen but also conceals a walk-in pantry, laundry, and a hidden powder room. The additional storage and open layout made a huge difference, bringing the entire space to life.” The biggest bargain was the stainless steel island bench from a local commercial kitchen supplier!
Alexandra says they absolutely love the home. “It was a labour of love and creativity for me; a blank canvas when we started! I had a lot of fun researching the building’s rich history, working with local artisans and rummaging through vintage warehouses to find and design every single detail in the home.”
Suppliers
- Marblo benchtop/splash – polymer hybrid solid surface
- Custom plywood kitchen joinery & sideboard from SoWatt
- The laundry, pantry & the door fronts of the sideboard are recycled plastic from Defy (you can still see some words from the packaging in there)
- Hand-forged wrought iron custom balustrade & baby gate on the staircase by local artisan & blacksmith Francesco Petrolo
- Brodware tapware & heated towel rails
- Vintage lighting
- Custom colour changeable LED linear pendant over the dining table from Daniel Giffin
- Woodcut engineered timber flooring
- Most of the furniture & lighting are vintage finds e.g. B&B Italia, Parker, Knoll, Bentwood and Murano glass
- Large format printed porcelain floor tiles from Di Lorenzo
- Matt mosaic wall tiles from Onsite
- Nood Co concrete sink
- Custom design oak & raw brass circular door knobs that will patina over time
Builder: Upstate Building Co.
This one of a kind home recently sold through Bresic Whitney.
Comments
I used to go to parties in this Newtown apartment block all the time. What a transformation! Gorgeous.
Oh, I bet they were good parties, Rach!
Thanks Jen!