Source : THE AGE NEWS
The Japanese call it Wabi-sabi, the art of imperfection. Architect Oliver Du Puy has perfected a touch of that sensibility in a gutted apartment in Sydney’s trendy Surry Hills.
“There’s beauty in imperfections that creates a sense of timelessness,” says Du Puy, pointing out some of the finishes, such as the micro cement, in the walls of the two-bedroom pad. Having worked in Japan, Du Puy acknowledges his views are shaped by architect Kazuo Shinohara, who declared ‘a house is a work of art’.
Before being gutted, the space was used by a creative agency which carved up the original detailing and internal areas with a series of partitions.Credit: Tom Ross
Set across an entire 220 square metre level, the residence sits below the award-winning Droga apartment, a sinuous structure clad in aluminium tiles designed by Durbach Block Jaggers and completed in 1997 that is now considered a landmark in the hood.
Du Puy’s footprint, occupying the early 20th-century building below, is far more recessive, with steel-framed windows set into the brown bricks. “The building itself has a colourful history, including being used as a squat for a number of years and, from what I’m told, this apartment was scene to a number of rave parties,” says Du Puy.
Before being gutted, the space was used by a creative agency which carved up the original detailing and internal areas with a series of partitions.
False ceilings concealed the chunky concrete beams and the octagonal 700-millimetre-wide concrete columns, masked in plaster, thought to be the work of the eminent civil engineer Sir John Monash, were discovered in the renovation.
“I’ve always been drawn to the pure elements in a space,” says Du Puy, keen to express the structure rather than add superfluous detail. Hence, the original 100-year-old jarrah floors were simply buffed and the structure, columns and beams were cleaned up and the graffiti removed.
The kitchen is discreetly located to one side of the open-plan dining and living area, with a Calacatta marble island bench thoughtfully positioned between two octagonal columns. A bank of stainless-steel joinery, including a splashback, further allows the structure of the interior to be expressed – concealing everything from the fridge and pantry to the wine fridge.
False ceilings concealed the chunky concrete beams and the octagonal 700-millimetre-wide concrete columns, masked in plaster.Credit: Tom Ross
The adjacent study/home office is as pared back, with a few ebonised oak shelves appearing to ‘float’ against the imperfect walls. “I’ve always been drawn to creating light and shade,” says Du Puy, who also enjoys that element of surprise.
The main bedroom, for example, includes a bank of ebonised French oak joinery across an entire wall, with the door to the room treated in the same manner – a secret door that disappears when left closed.
The main bedroom includes a bank of ebonised French oak joinery.Credit: Tom Ross
The ensuite to the main bedroom is also a touch Wabi-sabi, with a marble vanity that appears to be hand-chiselled from one piece and antique marble tiles on the floor. Du Puy also introduced a few curved walls into the apartment to soften some of the more orthogonal lines.
Unlike many inner-city apartments, this one, although down a lane, was endowed with natural morning light from the east (where the two bedrooms are located) and spectacular light to the north and west that illuminates the living areas during the day.
Fitted with vintage furniture and enlivened with a few contemporary pieces, the spaces are free of clutter.Credit: Tom Ross
Fitted with vintage furniture and enlivened with a few contemporary pieces, the spaces are, according to Du Puy, “free of clutter that often comes with day-to-day living.” Unlike many modern apartments, Du Puy also found space to create an outdoor nook at the junction of the apartment (the original building forms a wedge) that further extends the sense of space.
At a time when new is often seen as better, this apartment shows what can be achieved when the past is respected and reimagined with a number of careful and strategic moves that would certainly impress Sir John Monash, even though it’s now deliberately far from perfect.
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