October 10, 2025

Sydney’s Best Small Homes Under 60sqm/646sqft

A worker’s cottage, a golden 1960s flat, a hand crafted beachside apartment – and more. This compilation celebrates Sydney’s most inventive small homes, all under 60sqm/646sqft.

This compilation celebrates some of our most loved Sydney homes under 60sqm/646sqft. From compact terraces to inventive apartments, each makes the most of space and light – bringing the outdoors in, building storage into every surface, using height for volume, and rolling, folding, or sliding its way to flexibility.

Writing:

Never Too Small

Writing:

Camilla Janse van Vuuren

Photography:

Never Too Small

Australia

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Sydney is a city that always seems to be outdoors. From beaches and harbour ferries to leafy neighbourhood pubs, it thrives on sunshine and vibrancy. Sydney’s homes are as varied as its neighbourhoods – from compact workers’ cottages to breezy beachside apartments. With the highest house prices in Australia, the city has become a testing ground for small-space innovation. There’s no better time to showcase some of our most loved Sydney homes – all ingenious, all tiny in stature, and enormous in creativity and ambition.

Convict Cottage – 59sqm/635sqft

Convict Cottage has, as one might imagine, a colourful past. Built by inmates of the local jail to house wardens in 1849, the Darlinghurst terrace home went through many iterations before it landed in the talented hands of its current owner, Sam Eggleton. As the founder of Sydney-based Convict Interiors, he transformed the once dark and awkward space into his bright and breezy home and office.

To honour the home’s history, Eggleton worked with traditional materials in a tonal palette, layering in California Modern influences, playful colour, and small but impactful layout changes. Highlights include enlarged skylights that capture the northern light, a vaulted upper ceiling with Juliet balcony that opens the bedroom to the outdoors, and a courtyard that Eggleton uses year-round as an extension of the living space. Throughout, he searched for ways to maximise natural light. “You can’t change the direction of the sun,” Eggleton says, “so capturing as much light as you can is so important in making the space feel bright and breezy.”

The corner unit in a row of seven terrace houses, Convict Cottage retains its 1849 façade, built by inmates of the nearby Darlinghurst jail for its wardens.

The living room combines neutral tones with playful accents, from Xander Holliday’s colourful painting above the sofa to a cactus scratching post for Eggleton’s cat, Taco.

The expanded kitchen now stretches the full width of the home, with a central island and enlarged skylight that flood the space with light and functionality.

The courtyard extends the living space outdoors. A black colour-blocked wall contrasts with sandstone tiles, and Eggleton spends time here in all seasons.

In the bedroom, Eggleton opened up the ceiling from 1.9 to 3 metres, creating a vaulted cathedral-style volume with storage built into the roofline under the eaves.

Hidden Garden House – 47sqm/506sqft

“For the design of Hidden Garden House, we were especially inspired by Japanese temples and the hidden gardens you find in dense places like Tokyo,” explains Jennifer McMaster, co-founding director of TRIAS. That inspiration guided the transformation of a 47sqm/506sqft 1860s workers’ terrace in Darlinghurst into a retreat for Laura and Aman. What was once dark and run down now balances simplicity, crafted detail, and a courtyard garden at its heart.

Calm and carefully balanced, the interiors use a restrained palette and just a handful of considered details. As McMaster explains, “When we are designing small spaces, something we always try to do is minimise the material palette and the design decisions that we make. It’s really important that it doesn’t end up being too busy or fussy.” That restraint creates a home that feels warm rather than stark, with Laura’s ceramics adding texture and personality – from terracotta tiles in the kitchen to white glazed tiles in the courtyard. Carefully placed windows frame greenery and invite light deep into the narrow plan, reinforcing the sense of calm spaciousness.

The 1860s terrace retains its pink façade, which owners Laura and Aman chose to keep. A small garden fronts the house, with a bench made from its original stone foundation.

At the entry, a custom sofa sits alongside Victorian ash floorboards. An L-shaped bench runs through the living and dining area, doubling as seating and a step into the kitchen.

“The greenest building is the one that already exists.”

– Jennifer McMaster, co-Founding Director, TRIAS

A slim vertical bookshelf makes use of the narrow footprint, while a custom dining table, designed 10 cm narrower than standard, fits snugly into the corner.

The kitchen features a generous brass benchtop with an integrated sink and twin gas burners, complemented by terracotta floor tiles handcrafted by Laura. To the left hangs a custom tile art piece, also created by Laura.

The Japanese-inspired courtyard garden, designed with Kirsty Kendall of Studio Rewild, brings light, greenery, and ventilation into the centre of the terrace.

The bedroom follows a “simplicity is key” approach, with built-in storage, a low timber bed frame, and wall-mounted lights keeping the compact space calm and uncluttered.

The bathroom features Japanese Sugie tiles, retrieved as surplus from a favoured supplier, paired with warm brass taps and a wall-mounted basin reminiscent of a lab sink, suspended with its trap exposed.

Crown Street – 50sqm/538sqft

“Simplicity is something that I strive for,” says architect Ed Lippmann. “In a small space that becomes very important because there is no room for extravagance, no room for excess – there is a need to make the space liveable and delightful.” Lippmann put this philosophy into practice in the redesign of his son Mitch’s 50sqm/538sqft apartment, known as Crown Street, in Sydney’s CBD, located in a former Reader’s Digest warehouse.

Defined by timber joinery, the apartment balances warmth with efficiency. A loft platform incorporates the bed, wardrobe, and desk, while a wall of cupboards integrates the kitchen. Every element is pared back yet purposeful. Mitch’s second-hand furniture finds add softness and story to the simplicity and practicality of his father’s design.

Once a Reader’s Digest warehouse, the 1930s building was later converted into apartments. Its industrial past lives on in soaring 3.6-metre ceilings and generous volumes.

The front door opens directly into a wall of floor-to-ceiling cupboards that doubles as the kitchen, creating both a sense of arrival and a seamless storage solution.

Designed for Mitch, Lippmann’s son and a chef, the kitchen features a durable stainless steel benchtop with an integrated sink.

Lippmann demonstrates how the safety barrier on the loft can also be used as a desk. The timber structure incorporates the bed above, with a wardrobe and cupboards below, and full standing height beneath the platform.

The mattress sits slightly raised on the platform, making it easier to climb into and out of bed.

The apartment is furnished with Mitch’s many second-hand finds.

The Warren – 49sqm/419sqft

At first glance, The Warren appears to have no kitchen – exactly as Nicholas Gurney intended. The architect reimagined the 1960s apartment through an extensive redesign, transforming a divided, constrained layout into a fluid space that carries light and views deep into the home. While the design is far from minimalist, the client wanted to preserve the existing ambience while vastly improving functionality. They also asked that the kitchen feel recessive rather than dominant. Gurney achieved this by concealing the kitchen within streamlined joinery, omitting overhead cabinets to free wall space for artwork, integrating appliances under the bench, and choosing materials that allow it to recede into its surroundings.

Mirrored gold surfaces define the central storage pod, which Gurney positioned as the heart of the apartment. It conceals wardrobes, laundry, art supplies, and a pull-out guest bed, while reflecting plants, artwork, and light back into the space. The Warren is no minimalist retreat; instead, it embraces a kind of leafy maximalism while still creating a sense of calm and continuity.

The entry opens directly into the living area, where walls were removed to create a fluid, light-filled space. Semi-gloss paint and continuous floor tiles enhance the sense of continuity. Photo Credit: Michael Wee.

The kitchen was designed to recede, with no overhead cabinets and appliances concealed beneath the bench. This leaves space above for artwork, and intentionally ensures that the kitchen doesn’t dominate the apartment. Photo Credit: Michael Wee.

A niche in the mirrored pod serves as a DIY art corner, finished in matte black for easy maintenance. On the opposite side, a retractable curtain provides privacy for the pull-out guest bed concealed within the pod. Photo Credit: Michael Wee.

The bedroom is tucked into a compact nook, accessed by two steps. Reflective gold cupboards expand the sense of space and bounce light around the room. Photo Credit: Michael Wee.

In the bathroom, a custom hybrid shower and soaker tub includes an integrated planter, reflecting the client’s wish to have plants in every room. Glossy white tiles and polished gold fittings enhance the sense of light. Photo Credit: Michael Wee.

House in Newtown – 60sqm/645sqft

“I do feel that in Australia, architecture suffers from being a little too private,” says Dean Williams, Director at Architect George. “In dense environments and on small sites, I think it’s important for our buildings to breathe – to open up to the rear laneway, the park or the street.” In House in Newtown, the 1930s workers’ cottage home Williams shares with his partner and their dog, he leads by example.

Williams and his partner lived in the home for three years before transforming it into the bright and diverse space it is today. The 35sqm/377sqft cottage was reconfigured with a first-floor addition, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms. New openings to the garden, carefully placed windows, and the upper-level extension brought in light and views, while awkward angles were embraced to extend and connect the living spaces. After the renovation, the home measured 60sqm/645sqft, with all additions placed at the rear in line with heritage conservation requirements. “The key priorities for us were a home that was generous in its connection to the outdoors and to sunlight and to views of the garden and the community,” Williams says. House in Newtown is exactly that.

House in Newtown is a 1930s workers’ cottage that architect Dean Williams renovated, adding a contemporary extension at the rear to expand light, space, and connection to the garden.

The kitchen was reconfigured with joinery built around the chimney breast and a stone benchtop that extends across the island, worktops, and splashback.

An additional bathroom was added downstairs, compact in size yet described by Williams as “feeling like a hug.” A skylight above brings in daylight and a sense of openness.

The view from above. “It’s really nice to have a small courtyard in this part of Sydney – in such a dense environment. Even though it has these awkward shapes and angles it provides this extension of the living spaces”, Williams says of the garden area.

The new bedroom, part of the extension, includes a side door opening onto the upper greenspace. Following a request from Williams’ partner, stained-glass panels from the original home were reused in the railing.

beâCHâlet – 51sqm/549sqft

Long-term readers of Never Too Small may recognise beâCHâlet – a home we keep coming back to. It takes real skill to be a maximalist in 51sqm/549sqft and still create a space that feels both considered and cool. Matt Reynolds, founder of MattR Studio, is architect and resident of this Bronte apartment, which he has transformed into his own home.

The first step was building a workshop in the carport garage, where Reynolds crafted the bespoke joinery that now defines beâCHâlet. Almost every element is modular or multi-functional: the entry’s genkan bench folds forward to reveal hidden storage, the sofas roll together to form a bed, and the dining table doubles as a work desk. A sliding pegboard wall conceals the television and shelves, or shifts to divide the living area into a separate room. Even the home gym is hidden behind curtains, which can also be drawn across the living room to create a private, stand-alone bedroom. The result is an apartment where furniture rolls, folds, and conceals, allowing Reynolds to move easily between living, working, and entertaining.

Explore more of our roundups on small Australian homes:

https://www.nevertoosmall.com/post/13-australian-apartments-under-30-square-metres

https://www.nevertoosmall.com/post/architectural-tiny-cabins-in-australia