2015 Houses Awards: Apartment or Unit

Jury comment

The Darlinghurst Apartment reconfigures a twenty-seven-square-metre inner-city studio apartment into a fully functional home for a couple. The design cleverly incorporates a small bedroom, a laundry and ample storage into the incredibly tight floor space.

Each element of the design has been carefully considered to maximize storage and functionality. A deceptively simple central joinery element contains sliding doors, flaps and hatches to conceal and reveal the bedroom, a wine rack, a fold-down desk, a television and general storage. Elements are designed for flexibility of use: the step to the bedroom doubles as a seat and storage element; the kitchen drying rack doubles as crockery storage. The private zones of the apartment are skilfully delineated from the living area by a step and sliding door to provide a sense of seclusion to each of these spaces despite their close proximity.

The material palette is purposely restrained and mirrors are sparsely but effectively used to exaggerate the feeling of spaciousness.

This project is an excellent example of what a thoughtful designer can achieve within a very small space and with a very tight budget.

See full image galleries of all the winning and shortlisted projects here.

Award for Apartment or Unit is supported by Maximum.