An untouched 1950s warehouse is split down the middle and given a new lease on life
DETAILS
HOUSE McMahons Point House
LOCATION Sydney, NSW
DATE COMMENCED August 2014
DATE COMPLETED August 2016
Ever notice how a lot of good things start with “coco”? Coconuts, Coco Chanel, cocoa, and interior design powerhouse Coco Republic. One of the firm’s latest Sydney projects is this 1950s tri-level warehouse in McMahons Point. Owned by Revelop (developers) business partners Charbel Hazzouri and Anthony El-Hazouri, the warehouse was divided into two luxury houses.
To ensure both abodes possessed a sense of individuality, Coco Republic was called in to trick out the interior of Charbel and his wife Laura’s side of the warehouse.
Dilapidated and riddled with asbestos, the structure had received very little TLC since it was originally built and the roof — a standout feature of the structure — was in desperate need of repair.
Coco Republic senior interior designer Victoria Chapman claims that maintaining the roof form and original trusses was extremely important. Spanning the width of both residences, the M-shaped roof threw up a number of challenges, namely ensuring its connection to new internal structures such as the glass lift shaft and the floating stone stairs. “The roof was an evolving element of the building process mainly due to the condition of the existing structure and the challenges presented with integrating the glass roof over the lift wells of the two properties,” Victoria outlines.
Home to a growing family, the three-storey interior design needed to combine luxury with functionality while providing ample entertaining space for parties and get-togethers. Answering the brief is an open-plan kitchen/living/dining/family room, three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a study.
The top level of the home was to serve as a private space for the family, leaving guests with access to the ground and second floors only. The guest apartment on the ground floor offers one bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchen/living/dining area.
Partial to the classic Parisian Pied a Terre, the couple wanted to inject some of this grandiose aesthetic into their home and cited Calacatta marble as a key material to be used throughout the project. “The clients sourced some beautiful slabs, which we used in key areas to provide both a luxurious finish and visual interest,” Victoria adds. “We didn’t want the marble to make the space feel too cold, particularly as the ceiling soars to more than 5m on the second floor, so to offset the stone we introduced giant-format engineered oak floorboards in a sable/grey tone that was laid in a chevron pattern.”
Chevron flooring spans the full extent of the second-floor open-plan living area, with the oversized design balancing the ceiling height and floor area. Off-white walls with a green oxide undertone (Resene Merino) are consistent throughout the home, allowing the carefully curated furnishings, and the enviable views, to enjoy the limelight.
Hugging Sydney Harbour, this McMahons Point home is just as stunning inside as the views are outside. Kudos to you, Coco Republic!
We love
The Calacatta Oro marble and custom stained oak joinery
Editor’s favourite
Bespoke details including the large-format flooring
“The roof was an evolving element of the building process mainly due to the condition of the existing structure and the challenges presented with integrating the glass roof over the lift wells of the two properties” – Victoria Chapman
The guest apartment on the ground floor offers one bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen/living/dining area
Chevron flooring spans the full extent of the second-floor open-plan living area
PROJECT TEAM
Interior designer Coco Republic, cocorepublic.com.au
Architect Bureau SRH, bureausrh.com
Builder Revelop, revelop.com.au