First Look at SJB’s 41 Birmingham Apartments in Sydney’s Alexandria.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Look. I get it.

The world we live in is fiercely competitive, exceptionally noisy and getting more and more crowded by the minute. It’s really bloody hard to grab (and, more importantly, hold) people’s attention – we are all overexposed to too much stuff – from information to visual references. Good and bad. It’s all a bit much sometimes, and keeping up and putting your best foot forward is tough these days. Ok, I’ve gone a bit coo-coo on you, I know, so let’s narrow it down a little.

Let’s specifically talk about how you photograph, position and promote your design and architecture projects. And more specifically, when your project is multi-unit residential building that’s not tenanted. I mean, how do you do that? I know how difficult this can be, because this ol’ site gets tons of submissions each week, many of which fall into the this category, and very few of them stand out and grab our attention.

Well, today we give you an example on how the legends at SJB do it. Boom! Fucking nailed it. Team SJB essentially took an empty shell (a beautifully designed one at that – I might add), and made it their bitch by animating spaces with a few key furniture pieces, interesting props and pops of colour. Rather than going all ‘tradish’ display-suite with the styling, they’ve adopted a more conceptual approach, managing to bring life and sass to many spaces, and showcase the energetic qualities of their latest multi-unit residential project. A cunning move that’s really payed off, resulting in vibrant images loaded with personality.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Photo by Felix Forest.

Photo by Brett Boardman.

To give you a little bit of a background on the project, 41 Birmingham is located in the heart of Sydney’s historically industrial suburb of Alexandria. The development encompasses 23 apartments and a ground floor retail and lobby space. Boasting views of the Sydney skyline and a strong architectural presence, the design draws on both the site’s industrial origins and the emerging contemporary profile. Subtle detailing of the interior balances the robust and striking exterior form.

The strong aesthetic is defined by clean lines and a natural palette which effortlessly complements the design’s details. A combination of terrazzo, lime washed timber, Carrara marble and dramatic architectural gestures such as high exposed concrete ceilings shape this project’s truly unique identity.

The project was lead by Adam Haddow (architect) and Kirsten Stanisich (interior architect), and it was undertaken for Rubicon Property. For the interior shoot, key furnishings were sourced from the local suppliers such as Hub, Anibou, Cult, Robyn Cosgrove, Ondene and KeZu.

10 points from me on all accounts.

[Images courtesy of SJB. Interior photography by Felix Forest. Exterior photography by Brett Boardman.]