The kitchen features Miele VitroLine ovens and Franke gooseneck swivel taps from Winnings.
Set above Sydney Harbour, Wharf House enjoys a view stretching across the water to the bridge and city skyline. While the outlook is striking, it is complemented by its immediate natural surroundings. Mature Angophora trees create a tranquil borrowed landscape and atmosphere of immersion in nature.
The Wharf House holds local historical and aesthetic value due to its remarkably preserved early twentieth-century bungalow style. Original elements like the jewel-toned leadlight windows and the delicate craftsmanship of the fretwork, architraves, and window trims, carry a sense of romance and whimsy. And while the redesign celebrates the past, there is a confident presence in the new iteration, creating a home that feels both renewed and enduring.
Located on Sydney’s Balmain Peninsula, the home belongs to a couple whose adult children return on weekends and holidays. Spanning several years, the renovation included the creation of a private retreat, carved into the sandstone beneath the main living area. This lower level—housing the new kitchen, dining room, and semi-enclosed terrace—is linked via an internal staircase. Despite its modest ceiling height, the space feels bright and open, with large glass doors leading to a patio framed by garden views and glimpses of the water, accented by warm, gilded spice tones.
Custom fluting conceals the rangehood and adds contemporary ornamentation to kitchen joinery and the fireplace surround. Pictured: Brass pendant from Atelier De Troupe.
Dining space and window alcove. Pictured: Carimate armchair by Fritz Hansen, Vase (on dining table) by Bastard Ceramics and the Charlotte Perriand Indochine swivel armchair for Cassina. Artwork: ‘Ngayuku Ngura – My Country’ (2024) by Raylene Walatinna from Michael Reid Murrurundi.
“Unlike contemporary renovations with open plan living areas, we respected the home’s structural elements and retained the rooms,” Arent&Pyke founder Juliette Arent says. Instead, the plan of the home was reconfigured subtly with the original double doors positioned centrally on the verandah becoming the main entrance.
Making the most of the generously sized rooms and solid brick construction, the entrance now opens directly into the home’s grandest room, distinguished by an ornate coffered ceiling with a vaulted centre. This space has been transformed into the library and sitting room with “a pale green olive shade and yellow undertones that refresh and uplift,” Arent adds. Meanwhile, the former lounge—previously oriented toward harbour views—has been repurposed as the dining room, complete with a window alcove that takes advantage of its close connection to the kitchen.
With an eye for unexpected pairings—a palette of warm toffee and copper, maroon, deep greens, and blue joinery anchors the kitchen. The acoustic integrity of the home has also been enhanced—offering a sense of stillness and solidity— while a refreshing cross-breeze flows from the open terrace through the kitchen and along the hallway.
Addressing the practicalities of modern-day living, Arent&Pyke’s redesign provides the owners with a refreshed aesthetic, “referencing the mood of the past to draw upon the elegance of the spaces.”
Preserved heritage detailing in white is contrasted with wall paint in Dulux Butter Cookie. Pictured: Great Dane shelving, Arflex Marenco sofa, and the Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier Flare lamp.
Pictured: CULTIVER Heavyweight linen bedding.
Leadlight double doors reconfigured as the main entrance.
The Baxter Nepal armchair and CULTIVER Thatch linen bedcover designed by Colin King in the bedroom.
Pictured: Rug from Robyn Cosgrove, bedding by Society Limonta, and the Viabizzuno Roy Wall light.
A custom vanity by Arent&Pyke is paired with limestone floor tiles and Zellige feature tiles in chalk from Eco Outdoor. The space also features a Water Monopoly Rockwell bath with feet, Hawthorn Hill contemporary towel warmer, an Articolo Fizi Slab wall sconce, and a vintage bamboo and wicker stool.
Views to the harbour from the terrace. Pictured: Vintage Shoreline deck chair and vintage floor tiles in Rosso Verona, Boticino and Verde Guatamala from Bisanna Tiles.
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