Australian interiors studio YSG has completed the renovation of The Gentleman, a 95-square-metre apartment in a 1929 Art Deco building in Sydney’s Redfern neighbourhood. The redesign restores original architectural features while introducing warm materials, chamfered forms and contemporary interventions tailored to its owners.
Occupying a high-ceilinged residence overlooking the Sydney Opera House, the apartment was reimagined for two clients whose personalities informed both the project’s name and its design direction. Rather than masking the building’s historic character, YSG removed later alterations to reveal and celebrate its Art Deco origins.
“Designed for two super lovely men, the home essentially personifies many of their combined attributes, becoming in a sense the third ‘gentleman’ in the equation,” YSG director Yasmine Ghoniem told Dezeen.
“I wanted the home to reflect their genuine warmth, scholarly sophistication – in a charming, worldly way, plus musical appreciation – they’re especially classical fans including Rachmaninov and Bach,” Ghoniem continued.
“We stripped all the random owner interventions made over the years – especially clunky inbuilt joinery and bulkheads concealing downlights – to streamline clarity and accent original [art] deco codes and finishes.”
Restored art deco features meet contemporary craftsmanship
The apartment follows a linear plan centred on the entrance and dining area, with two bedrooms positioned on one side and the kitchen, bathroom and living room on the other. However, YSG introduced subtle architectural interventions to improve both comfort and spatial clarity.
Because both homeowners stand over two metres tall, the studio increased the height of the original doorways. The existing art deco architraves and doors were carefully removed, then reinstated with Australian Red Cedar skirtings that preserved their historic appearance while accommodating the new proportions.
“Raising the door heights was more a plea than a request given both the clients are so tall!” Ghoniem commented.
Throughout the apartment, chamfered edges reinterpret art deco geometry, while patterned details reference Balkan cilim textiles in recognition of one client’s Bosnian-Croatian heritage. Furthermore, an angled wall concealing a new laundry extends into the dining area, where a sculptural timber banquette follows its geometry beneath an angular suspended light.
“Inspired by our clients’ admiration for Vermeer’s mastery of light and shade in his paintings, we specified a lead white shade to tonally expand and unify the apartment’s walls,” Ghoniem explained.
Warm materials and sculptural forms define each room
YSG strengthened the apartment’s material identity through a rich palette of ochre, chocolate brown and amber tones. Consequently, stepped cornices and skirtings frame the living room’s ochre-painted walls, while amber wall sconces echo the coloured glazing of the original entrance door.
In the kitchen, stainless steel cabinetry contrasts with a monolithic Lauriana quartzite splashback and chimney hood, creating a restrained yet highly tactile composition. Stainless steel details continue throughout the apartment alongside American oak joinery, reinforcing material continuity across the interior.
Meanwhile, the bathroom introduces another sculptural element through a monolithic vanity with a sloping face. Amber glass panels filter natural light, producing a warm sepia atmosphere that complements the apartment’s broader colour palette.
“Despite the apartment’s intimate scale, each room possesses a special moment that somehow emboldens it which is something we were conscious of achieving at concept stage – from the kitchen’s boldly patterned stone to the futuristic angled dining banquette,” said Ghoniem.
With The Gentleman, YSG demonstrates how carefully restored heritage architecture can coexist with contemporary interior design, creating a home that balances historical character, tailored functionality and expressive material detailing.