We love working on Sydney terrace houses. It may be challenging, but terraces present plenty of potentials to create something exciting and original. Most Sydney terraces went through numerous modifications and sometimes unsympathetic extensions, are heritage-listed or located in the heritage conservation areas.

The terrace in Paddington was an exceptional project for us. Pamela, the client, already had engaged an architect, but she was not happy with the result. Although the architect addressed her brief, he didn't come with any creative ideas. When we met, we felt a connection with the client straight away—the sense when people understand each other very well.

Pamela's house was a significant three-level terrace with a narrow kitchen and a rundown ground floor bathroom from the previous extension. She loved cooking for the family and friends, but the kitchen's layout was poor and had no breakfast area. Another major issue was the lack of a good-sized bathroom and the absence of laundry space. The ground floor bathroom was narrow, and the main bathroom was too small to fit a bathtub and shower area. Also, the house had no connection with the courtyard.

Pamela's brief was to create large bi-fold doors to connect the kitchen with the courtyard and make a build-in laundry cupboard as a part of the kitchen. She was looking to enlarge the main bathroom but did not want to sacrifice the adjacent study space.

Instead of simply introducing a large opening in the kitchen wall with massive doors, Anna proposed a cafe-style window seat and suggested smaller sliding doors. That created a breakfast area, connected the kitchen with the courtyard and allowed transforming the kitchen into an entertainment space. The light glass awning wrapped the outside of the opening and created shading to protect doors and the external seating area.

On the first floor, Anna designed a spacious bathroom and saved the study room by creating an open space study nook. And finally, Studio Urbo assisted the client with the interior design throughout the house, including a new glass balustrade for the existing staircase and additional joinery.

The client was pleased with the outcome as it was a significant improvement to the existing terrace.

The project was featured in TREND magazine. 

Photographer: Paul Worsley, Live by the Sea