An Apartment in Kirribilli for Empty Nesters

Anyone who has mastered the art of empty nesting will tell you that there’s nothing empty about it. Take a vacation tomorrow? Done. Take a stand against cooking? Of course. Or, in the case of one Sydney-based couple, move back into the Kirribilli home they bought as newlyweds—check. The home in question, an apartment purchased decades prior, ticked many boxes in this season of life: it was a short walk from the city via the Harbour Bridge, and with no backyard, it was a low-maintenance dream—or would be, with the right interventions.

When they called in architects Amandine Simonetti and Jack Chen for the interior overhaul, it was clear to the couple what the first step would be: reconfiguring the long and narrow layout, which was squeezed in some areas as slim as 3 metres. Also a problem was privacy, with surrounding buildings situated a little too close for comfort. To Amandine and Jack, the solution presented itself in halves: a public half in the front and a private half behind it, each invisible from the other.

Tsai Design Amandine Simonetti Architecture Interior Kirribilli Apartment Photo Clinton Weaver Yellowtrace 11

Tsai Design Amandine Simonetti Architecture Interior Kirribilli Apartment Photo Clinton Weaver Yellowtrace 13

“The idea was to create separate functional zones: an open living area where they could entertain, and private quarters where they could retreat, rest, play piano or read. An apartment with fewer maintenance worries would allow them to have more time for their friends, family and hobbies,” says Jack, founder and principal of Tsai Design, who joined hands with Amandine for the project.

The pair espoused a different approach for each half, chasing the sunshine in the front and softening its slant in the back. “Our goal for the former was to create a welcoming and open-plan space, perfect for entertaining friends and guests,” says Amandine. She and Jack cancelled the walls that once separated the dining area, kitchen and corridors, conjuring a luminous oasis with zero sightlines. They suspended in the centre a triangular marble island, which, in moments when the light is just right, channels a cloud hung low in the shallows of the sky. So dreamy was the inspiration that the pair extended it to the bathroom, parlaying it into the vanity and blurring the line between spaces with frosted glass.

Tsai Design Amandine Simonetti Architecture Interior Kirribilli Apartment Photo Clinton Weaver Yellowtrace 12

Tsai Design Amandine Simonetti Architecture Interior Kirribilli Apartment Photo Clinton Weaver Yellowtrace 19

The interior may look seamless, but as Amandine and Jack tell it, some bits took more effort to execute than others. “The most stressful part was probably the joinery fabrication and installation,” avers Jack. “The joinery was made in Melbourne, transported to Sydney and assembled on-site by a specialist installer. This allowed us to get the project over the line, but as we were working with an existing envelope, it was very tricky to navigate the edges.”

The rear half originally housed two bedrooms, but the owners only needed one. Cue a consolidation into one versatile rumpus room, complete with a spiffy study area, an upright piano and a cosy reading nook—“the perfect space for quiet moments of relaxation.”

Ask Amandine and Jack their favourite bits from the remodel, and they don’t hem or haw. “The island, the lightbox in the bathroom, the glass above the bedroom joinery—there are too many to name. But nothing comes close to our clients’ satisfaction at the end of the project.”