Seven Terrace Houses in a Row in Darlinghurst, Sydney
“This is a fabulous community”, Sam Eggleton, the founder of Sydney-based Convict Interiors, tells Never Too Small about the row of compact terrace houses, seven in total, conjoined to his own home located to the end. “It’s not uncommon for us to pop by with a bottle of wine on a Friday afternoon or catch the sunset over the skyline with a cocktail”. The historic single-height frontage of seven terraces is located in the vibrant inner-city suburb of Darlinghurst, just one street back from Oxford Street where the iconic Mardi Gras parade is held and is surrounded by a mix of high rise modern developments and village streets.
Eggleton’s cottage is two storeys with a total footprint of 59sqm/635sqft, and it dates back to around 1849 when it was originally constructed by inmates of the nearby Darlinghurst jail as a place to house its wardens. Signs of its age and colourful past were evident when Eggleton acquired the home, describing it as somewhat “dark and clinical”; yet with care, careful planning, and mild adjustments to the layout, he managed to successfully reimagine the space contemporary while still honouring its past. The redesign was so successful, in fact, that it spawned Eggleton’s business, Convict Interiors
California Modern but Make it Funky
When it came to his design vision, Eggleton told us he wanted to create a home that was warm and inviting and that he was particularly focused on welcoming in the rear-to-North aspect light. “You can’t change the direction of the sun”, he noted, “so capturing as much light as you can with that aspect is just so important in making a space feel bright and breezy”. He achieved these goals in a couple ways: First, he made sure to use traditional materials in a “tonal way”, which allowed the space to have cohesion both in terms of its overall style as well as between the historical structure and interior treatment. “It really helped make the space not try to be something that it's not”, said Eggleton.
The style itself has echoes of California Modern due to its neutral off-white palette, wood furnishings, and curved edges; yet, it has a bit more funk to it, with accents like the “intentionally irregular” handmade Moroccan tiles and the organic-shaped and multi-coloured decor – much of which was inspired by the painting hanging above his couch, as Eggleton explained: “The first thing I actually bought was this stunning artwork by my friend Xander Holliday; his fun use of shapes and pops of colour really influenced how I styled the property”. A fun example of this appears in the shape of a green, cactus scratching post for his roommate Taco, a tuxedo cat.
While the selection of materials and decor undoubtedly augment the overall effectivity of Eggleton’s design, it would not have the same impact if he had not made some small but considered changes to the layout as well – ones that maximised the space and helped generate the right atmosphere. Most significant among these changes include: enlarging the skylights; expanding the kitchen across the width of the room and adding a centre island, effectively tripling its workable space; removing the laundry from the bathroom to create more storage and a more functional bathroom layout; and, our personal favourite, opening up the upper storey ceiling to create a pitched, cathedral-style vault above the bedroom. All of these adjustments and more contributed to better atmosphere, better flow, better function, and thus, better living.
Eggleton's Tips for Small Space Design
What worked for Eggleton in the redesign of his compact interior was to really take stock of what he valued and needed as a person: “I really just had a look at myself as a person and how I want to use the space. Through that, I created a list of all the features and functions that I’d like to have incorporated, then I just had to come up with creative solutions of how that’s all going to fit within those four walls”. When asked what he would suggest for others looking to do the same, he encouraged, “Don’t be afraid to shift, repurpose, or reuse certain spaces because every millimetre counts”.
For a full tour of Sam’s home, watch the video at the top of the page and to never miss a future episode, subscribe to Never Too Small on YouTube.
