Old School Loft
A schoolhouse, opened into one room.
A former school building, turned into a calm, contemporary loft. The owners wanted a true open-plan heart to the home without losing the building’s heritage feel, so the original brickwork and the double-height steel-framed windows stayed, and everything between them was reworked.
One room to cook, eat
and live in.
Better flow for cooking and entertaining, more daylight and finishes that would last. On the entrance level, a bathroom with boutique calm and storage that actually works.
The open-plan space
- The dividing pony wall removed
- A seven-metre kitchen run along the original brick wall
- The island pulled into the room, joining cooking, dining and lounging
- Services tucked into discreet bulkheads
- Window frames refinished in deep black to sharpen the industrial lines
The bathroom
- Reconfigured to sit just before the kitchen, easy to reach but out of sight
- Large-format taupe porcelain wrapping the floor and walls
- Brushed brass fittings
- A halo-lit mirror
- A built-in vanity in place of the first floating basin sketch
The change of mind worth telling
The first sketch had a floating basin. A detailed storage audit showed how much space that gave away, so it became a built-in vanity: the same light, linear look, with far more room for everything a bathroom actually has to hold. It is the kind of decision that is cheap on a drawing and expensive once the tiler has finished.
Warmth set against
an industrial shell.
Forest-green cabinetry
The full kitchen run, set against the original brick.
Calacatta-look island
A waterfall island pulled into the room to link kitchen, dining and living.
Oak herringbone
Laid over electric underfloor heating, softening the loft’s hard edges.
Taupe porcelain
Large format, wrapping the bathroom floor and walls.
A duplex that reads
as one volume.
What began as a compartmentalised duplex now reads as one cohesive space: brighter, more sociable and easier to live with day to day. The heritage shell is still the star. The new layout, tones and textures simply help it perform.
Planning a kitchen or bathroom like these yourself? The Kitchen Renovation Guide and The Bathroom Renovation Guide walk through the same decisions, from setting out to finishes.
Chosen room by room,
not by budget.
This home used Premium where tiling and joinery were going in, and Basic where the rooms only needed furnishing. A free fifteen minute call will tell you which fits each of yours.
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