'It was quite a feat': The architect-designed family haven that only has one bedroom

Emerging Sydney architecture practice Retallack Thompson took six months to design – and Culbert Constructions took four months to complete – this smart, one-bedroom apartment renovation on one of Potts Point’s most coveted streets, Challis Avenue.

It all began with a series of questions for the architects Jemima Retallack and Mitchell Thompson. “To what degree can the spaces of our homes feel individual and separated, yet foster interaction across them? How can the inhabitants perform rituals of dwelling in various parts of the home while maintaining a connection?”

The original inter-war, art deco apartment was blessed with generous proportions and charming heritage details but, like most builds from the same era, it was much too compartmentalised for modern living. It was purchased by the client as a “nest” in the city for weekend hideouts, and for hosting family and friends during their visits.

For a family of five, it was essential the new layout could shift to accommodate anywhere from one to five people at a time.

Retallack Thompson rose to the challenge by creating a multifunctional living and dining nook that could be converted into sleeping quarters, to add to the apartment’s dedicated bedroom. Fold-down beds are concealed within living area walls, while the generous bench seating and retractable Eileen Grey “Jean” table in the dining nook allow for the provision of a fifth sleeping space.

However, it is during the daytime that the most careful consideration was required to the apartment’s complex functions.

The intervention saw the removal of three existing walls to create a greater connection across living, dining and cooking areas. The ground plane is opened up for an increased sense of space, yet thresholds are maintained through the downturns of the ceiling and subtle changes in materials and finishes.

The design attempts to strike a balance between the removal of barriers to encourage interactions while still clearly defining zones for service, living and rest.

The logistics of working within a small apartment three storeys above street level was not without its challenges for the builder.

“The new six-metre long steel beam, required to support the brickwork where the original internal walls were removed, had to be craned in from the street, and passed through the living room windows ever so gingerly,” reminisce Retallack Thompson.

“It was quite a feat, particularly when they realised it had to be turned mid-air so it could be sent through the right way.”

And then there are the poetic qualities to this design.

“The existing apartment had a beautiful language of soft rendered curves and southerly aspect onto Challis Avenue,” say the architects.

“The aspect of the unit brings in particularly dramatic light, which had a transformative quality on the colouring of the materials and paints used throughout. The blue-grey colour used for the kitchen joinery and hallway was custom-mixed on site to achieve the right amount of greyness in this distinctive light.”

Ultimately, these talented young architects have gone above and beyond to push the limits of compact space and restricted access to city views by intelligently maximising both. This little gem of a project truly punches well about its weight by cleverly combining substance with style. I’m sold.