Artful Apartment Living in Darling Point by Chenchow Little

Chenchow Little are easily one of our favourite local architecture studios here at Yellowtrace. Their master of materiality and form is consistent across all of their projects, yet each one remains distinctly fresh and innovative. This is why we went a little nuts when their latest project landed in our sights. From the artful concept development, through to the warm fluid geometry in the final design, this recently completed refurbishment of a waterfront apartment in Sydney’s Darling Point is A+ and seriously extraordinary stuff.

The brief required Chenchow Little to celebrate the geometry of the 1970s apartment building, imbed a sense of surprise in the design concept and provide a thoughtful solution for displaying the client’s vast art collection. In collaboration with Dayelsford artist, Esther Stewart, the designers developed an ‘unfolding’ concept model exploring colour and geometry. This not only ended up informing the final design elements – the concept was also imbedded throughout the apartment in the form of an exploding mural at the entry, covering the walls, the floor and the ceiling. The strong colours are true to Esther’s distinctive colour palette, and are echoed throughout the rest of the apartment. Further fulfilling the artful element of the brief, Chenchow Little designed recessed American Oak joinery with sliding panels that provide the owner with flexible and fluid surfaces for curating and displaying the 25 paintings housed in the apartment.

From a design perspective, the main living space occupies three structural bays, each with a different orientation and geometry, detailed with openings that can be closed off for privacy, or used to frame views and provide connection between rooms. The lighting track follows the kinking geometry of the room, and the timber-clad floors, walls and ceilings further enhance the bends of the space and give a sense of refined elongation.

There’s a maritime feel in the space, in part due to the warm enveloping timber, like being inside the barrel of a boat, coupled with the sweeping water views. This feeling is significantly enhanced when the bathrooms come to view. These spaces are playful, entirely clad with curved green-tinged glass that creates endless reflections. A project most definitely worthy of Extreme Love!