Inside a whimsical Surry Hills apartment with hidden rooms and an abundance of art

• Owners: Brett Mickan and Nick English
• Type of property: A playful apartment with hidden rooms and historic features.
• Address: 1/102-104 Albion Street, Surry Hills, NSW
• Price guide: $2.75 million

Interior designer Brett Mickan likens his Surry Hills apartment to the fantasy world described in Alice in Wonderland.

Like the rabbit hole, its vine-covered metal mesh facade conceals the wondrous space – complete with hidden rooms, playful styling and an abundance of art – that lies within.

The imaginative home is in stark contrast to the “dark and dank” 238-square-metre property he and his husband, Nick English, first encountered in 2019. 

Back then, it contained one bedroom, a large concrete storage area, and a room lined with “walls and walls of Ikea cabinetry”. Behind a sliding bookcase was a windowless space set up as a gambling den, with a blackjack table, a pool table and a Western-style bar adorned with horseshoes. 

“There were boxes of chips and playing cards … there were also these boxes of flavoured liqueurs,” says English. “There was no ventilation; the lighting was bad.”

While other prospective buyers struggled to imagine what they could do with it, Mickan’s mind was already whirling with ideas.

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After living in the home unrenovated (“I have a background in theatre design, so we’d have a party and I’d paint trees on the wall,” says Mickan), he set about redesigning the apartment with nods to its past.

The site was originally home to two terrace houses, which were demolished in the early 1900s to make way for a factory. In the late ’80s, the industrial building was reimagined as apartments in one of the suburb’s first warehouse conversions.

“What we look for is something with real character and a story, so this obviously had that,” says Mickan. “I like to show that in the space.”

The brick walls of the original factory were exposed in the living room and a guest bedroom, while concrete walls from the earlier renovation were retained in the kitchen. Rippled glass and steel window frames add to the industrial aesthetic, along with an exit sign above the front door, which was found in the ceiling cavity.

The covert casino has inspired several hidden spaces throughout the home. A wood-panelled powder room sits behind a wallpapered door in the bar area, and a red curtain near the kitchen conceals a door to the apartment complex.

The room that inspires the most awe among guests, however, is the revamped gaming room. This whimsical space, accessed through a hidden door in the blue dining room wall, has yellow carpet, pink walls, and a cloudy sky ceiling.

“Brett will give the tour and you can always hear it when they get to that point – all of a sudden he opens the door and everybody goes ‘Oh my god!’” says English. 

“When I designed it, I loved the idea of a hidden space, so I wanted to keep that story in there,” explains Mickan. “I don’t think you should take your interiors too seriously.”

The back part of the home sits underground, meaning they had to find creative solutions to light the space. Consulting with a lighting designer, they incorporated reflective surfaces, recessed lighting, sensor lights and an internal courtyard lit by an artificial skylight.

Wallpaper, bright furnishings and the couple’s extensive art collection bring their personalities and a sense of softness into the home.

“I believe every design should feel like it’s a collection of your favourite things,” Mickan says. “I like a space to talk about the people who live in it, even if they’re not there.”

A large painting of the Pichi Richi Railway in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges, inherited from Mickan’s grandparents, hangs on a gallery wall in the front living room alongside a mixed-media piece by Joan Ross and works by independent artists.

Among their favourite homewares items is a lamp from a vintage store in Miami that “looks like woven bread”, a pillow made from a rabbit fur bolero jacket and an ottoman that’s stayed with them through four moves.

As well as a “sanctuary” for the couple, the home is the perfect place to retreat with friends after a night out at local bars and restaurants – Bar Copains and Shaffa are two of their favourites – and has been the site of many parties over the years.

“The reason we love this space is because we love to entertain. Our last Christmas party was 140 people, so to have that in an apartment is amazing,” says Mickan. “Because there’s so many spaces and it’s so comfortable, it’s so easy to live in.”

While he says the apartment will be “really hard to leave”, the couple have decided to put it on the market and start the search for their next home project.

“We love to find places and re-do them, so we’re ready for the next one.”

SOLD - $3,050,000

1/102-104 Albion Street (enter via 1 Crawford Place ), Surry Hills NSW 2010

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