Behind the listing: A restored stonemason’s cottage in Sydney’s Paddington

Owners: Richard and Stephanie Huxley
Address: 9 Prospect Street, Paddington, Sydney
Type of home: One-bedroom renovated cottage built circa 1840
Purchased: 2014
Price guide: $1.45 million

Restoring a neglected stonemason’s cottage in Sydney’s Paddington has been a passion project for architect Richard Huxley and his wife Stephanie, art director at fashion label Camilla & Marc.

When the creative couple first saw the circa 1840 cottage in 2014, it was in disrepair and deemed not habitable. 

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“It was barely a house really, it had two or three walls, an outhouse, the ceiling was sort of collapsing,” says Richard, who runs his own architecture firm, Huxley Architects.

Undeterred, they bought the 170-year-old home, and, after some repairs to make it “liveable”, moved in with the intention to renovate down the track. 

The one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage was originally constructed as temporary accommodation for stonemasons sent from England to build the nearby Victoria Barracks on Oxford Street. 

After

Before

“We fell in love with the rustic palette of materials, there’s so much history to the site,” says Richard. “We were excited by what we could bring to the property.”

After living in it for about three years, the couple began a year-long renovation of the home, with a goal to make the most of its small footprint and heritage features.

“Everything had to create a sense of space,” says Richard. 

The dilapidated lean-to kitchen and outhouse were replaced with a modern extension featuring a galley kitchen, study nook and bathroom, all opening to a sunny courtyard, creating a clear line of sight through the whole ground floor.

“The addition is vastly taller, it’s well lit, it provides a kind of counterpoint to the lower ceilings and more intimate historical spaces at the front of the house,” says Richard.

Drawing on the original sandstone wall for inspiration, they opted for raw materials throughout the home, including travertine, Calacatta marble and French oak floorboards.

The bathroom, which Richard counts as one of his favourite spaces, bookends the property and serves as a “kind of urban oasis”. Tadelakt — a limestone render originating in Morocco — was applied to the walls by hand in an intricate, two-month process.

“It was a really labour-intensive process using that material,” says Richard. “I think that is part of what makes the space so special.”

The home’s unassuming brick facade fits right in among the heritage cottages and terraces of Prospect Street, a two-minute stroll from busy Oxford Street.

After

Before

Richard says Paddington’s village feel and proximity to “everything” is what he loves most about the home’s location.

“You can walk to the city, you’re not too far from all the beaches, there are great cafes,” he says. “And, you’d be hard-pressed to find another street as neighbourly as Prospect Street.”

While he says they will be sad to see their home go, the couple have decided it’s “time to move on”, with the cottage set to go to auction on June 26.