UP IN THE AIR

with the clients in the past, Felicity King was called on to bring warmth and connection to their new apartment 28 floors above Sydney Harbour, and the result is an elegant and cocooning home in the clouds. To create a space for entertaining with family and friends that celebrated the harbour setting while providing a calm and intimate refuge from the The challenge was to achieve the most from a predetermined amount of space. The floor plan was reorganised by removing and repositioning non-loadbearing walls and relocating the services, which allowed for increased ceiling heights that add grandeur and delight. Every space integrates storage, with pocket doors revealing a pantry and cupboards hidden behind kitchen island tiles, under windowsills and in blade walls. There is flexibility in how rooms function, allowing the space to evolve. There might have been a tendency to mimic the city’s hard edges and shiny surfaces but instead we looked to the underlying natural environment: white linen curtains are soft as clouds, surfaces shimmer like the harbour, curved bulkheads echo undulating hills and rounded corners draw in fluid bends, coves and bays. We held an all-encompassing view, considering the layout and decoration from the beginning so that upholstered walls act as bedheads, veneer doors melt into veneer walls, built-in bench seats extending from the kitchen provide seating for casual dining, and partition walls house storage and display areas. The original fit-out was stripped bare and transformed into a home that is functional and transportive. The design has a European character and elegance while also expressing a uniquely refined Australian aesthetic that draws upon the landscape. The spaces have a soothing, warm quality so that, whether it is day or night, it is never cavernous or lifeless when just one or two people are home. This is achieved by the layering of complementary materials throughout. I love that in the evening the apartment takes on a more nocturnal character, mimicking the daily transformation of the city as the sun sets and the lights of the city shimmer. The lighting effects do not blanket the space in flat light. Instead, pendant and wall lights as well as dimmable, warm concealed lighting in curtain bulkheads, low bookshelves and handrails allow for interspersed shadow and light. In this way you feel conscious of and part of the urban community. There was considerable reflection upon site and context when starting this project to create a space that celebrates the harbour landscape. The tonal and textural palette of veneer, natural timber and stone reinforces a sense of grounding and stillness, connecting with the elements of nature. The black steel band and fluted tiles of the kitchen island reference the built fabric of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Flickers of green marble and blue velvets, drawn from the clients’ Australian artworks, embellish the interiors. Furniture such as the Minotti sofa and Cappellini side tables were chosen for their sculptural lines. Art and curated accessories add an eclectic and unique expression. “As our family had grown up and we approached retirement, we wanted to downsize from the big house in the suburbs to a place in the city. We wanted to preserve our privacy but be able to entertain family and friends, and re-create the elegance of our prior home with large spaces and high ceilings. This exceeded our expectations. We wanted a place that was still our home and, as we travel more, our home is in the city we love – Sydney,” say the clients.