I’ve long expressed my enthusiasm for clever renovations of old spaces. The fact is that even though new buildings might seem like the future, most of the architectural future was built in the last 150 years. In other words, many of the buildings we see today will be there tomorrow. So it makes sense to devote intellectual, material and financial resources toward incorporating future-based thinking into old spaces. The Darlinghurst Apartment in NSW Australia by Architect Brad Swartz is a nice example of such an allocation of resources. It takes a tiny, old space and injects it with a cutting edge design, making it ready for infinity and beyond.

The 290 sq ft space was intended to be suitable for a single person or couple. The original layout had a bed in the main room and the kitchen in an adjoining nook. Swartz reversed these positions, placing the bed in the nook and leaving the main room open for a sofa, dining table and kitchenette.

Dividing the sleeping nook and main area is a bank of cabinets with sliding doors that either conceal the cabinetry or close up the bed and bath rooms. A door opens on the cabinets to reveal a small desk.

The decor is a minimalist’s dream, with a sofa, table and a few stools being the only non-built in elements of the space. Though there are additional cabinets in the bedroom, the sum total storage is not hoarder-friendly. There is a wine cabinet, making it strangely oenophile-friendly.

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