Barcom Terrace in Darlinghurst, Sydney by Arent&Pyke

Today we rekindle our love for the talented duo Juliette Arent and Sarah-Jane Pyke of the highly successful Sydney-based studio Arent&Pyke. Since our last interview with them in 2010 they’ve been busy. As well as collecting a slew of accolades for their projects such as Alex Hotel, Fig Tree House and The Avenue; they’ve had families, expanded their practice and launched IN/OUT: a beautifully curated design and lifestyle blog which you must go to and read immediately!

Suffice it to say they’re absolutely kicking goals and we are in awe of their continued passion, hard work and design contribution. Our love for this duo has never wavered but rather increased in fervour. And now we’re excited to share with you their latest project Barcom Terrace in Darlinghurst, Sydney.

Originally built as a single residence in the early 1890s, Barcom Terrace was converted to a boarding house in 1958 and then further converted to 6 self contained flats in 1983. CSA Architects had been working with the clients for a number of years and resolved the heritage issues and overall planning. When Arent&Pyke became involved they added another layer to the planning with detailed thinking about how the family’s life would unfold throughout the house.

See more projects from Arent&Pyke on Yellowtrace here.

The history and character of the building was the first key into the aesthetic direction for the house. They created contrasting experiences that visually flow, connect and create a dialogue between old and new. The classic period details of the main body of the house where the rooms are clearly defined open up the new expansive kitchen, dining and sitting wing. This large living area is masterfully divided into smaller volumes with the insertion of glazed partitions and exposed roof trusses that define the linear space. Upstairs along the beautiful terrace facade is a luxurious master bedroom suite with a grand doorway and master ensuite. As the construction progressed they also took advantage of a significant room under the house to create the cellar, bar and a casual lounge including the pool table.

Arent&Pyke have created a stunning family home that isn’t “defined by a particular time.” It is a playful yet sophisticated mix of styles and furnishings that combine modernist pieces, family heirlooms and contemporary design. As with all of their work, Barcom Terrace evokes a sense of joyfulness and personality that comes with design nous, fastidious attention to detail and an intimate understanding of a client’s needs. We are blown away. Can we pretty please move in too?

Now let’s hand it over to Principle Sarah-Jane who’s kindly shared her insights of the design process, challenges and learnings involved with Barcom Terrace. Thanks Sarah-Jane!

+ What was your design inspiration for this project – i.e was it a result of client’s brief, a particular concept or an idea etc?

I’m always fascinated by the history of old homes, and this house was particularly intriguing – it used to be a boarding house – so that was both an inspiration and a challenge for this project.
Our process is to approach each project with the complete vision clear in our minds, so every decision we make is building towards a final result that includes not just the built elements, but the layers of lighting, furnishing, styling and art that will complete the home. It can be hard for a client to see the final result in all the small decisions, so keeping the big vision in mind is one of our key roles. This gives each project more depth allowing it to be fully realised in the way that we and the clients had always imagined.
Our clients lived in America for some time (one half of the couple is American) so they asked us to introduce some elements that felt familiar to them. This is expressed in the language of some of the kitchen details and material choices.

+ Most challenging aspect?

How would we retain and enhance what we loved about the house, while changing up the scale of the spaces and introducing materials and details that would feel relevant to the young family who are going to live and grow and make memories here.
As a practice we have had some incredible opportunities in grand old Sydney homes, so we’ve had a chance to develop and refine our own thinking about how best to respond to this architecture, particularly the scale. At The Avenue and Figtree House we were able to experiment with the use of strong colour, defining space with lighting, and using window treatments that define and soften large openings, drawing the eye up into the big volumes.
At the Barcom Terrace we wanted to create a new language for the home that wasn’t defined by a particular time. We’ve had the most success when we mix styles of furnishing, including modernist pieces, family heirlooms and contemporary design to create unexpected combinations.
In the kitchen, dining and sitting wing, the original brickwork was uncovered and the decision to expose some elements of the brickwork created an earthiness that became the foundation for that decorative scheme.
All the existing spaces had to be stripped back, to expose not just their original details and fabric, but also the intended volumes and the proportion of the rooms, which were disguised by the inclusion of tiny bathrooms and mini-mezzanine spaces cutting the large volumes in half.

+ What did you learn during the project?

The nature of working in heritage buildings, with all their quirks, always leads to some interesting changes on site! We had to be responsive as the building evolved and we wanted to make the most of the new opportunities that came up during construction.

See more projects from Arent&Pyke on Yellowtrace here.