Refurbishment of the Art Deco 84sqm apartment led by Youssofzay Hart architects is a poetic and balanced work that honors the past while introducing a modern and elegant intervention.
Each element of the design enters into quiet conversation with the apartment’s original character. Eucalypt-hued D-Tiles, bold in presence, wrap the bathroom in soft, modular geometry, picking up tones from the original stained-glass door. Their gridded curves shape a confident vanity and create an immersive, almost serene, bathing space—an echo of mid-century utilitarian principles.
Across the apartment, curved joinery softens transitions while discreetly expanding storage and reinforcing spatial coherence. In the kitchen, muted grey-blue cabinetry and speckled Italian terrazzo establish a sense of material continuity without imitation. The design leans into enduring choices: a stainless steel bench, sanded to a matte, tactile finish, speaks to longevity, functionality, and quiet tactility.
What sets this project apart is its gentle defiance of real estate convention. In a city often driven by maximising room count, this renovation removes a bedroom. The decision to pare back—from two to one—makes room for light, air, and spatial flow. It’s a home tailored to the rhythm of its occupants’ daily lives, not speculative resale formulas.
Located in Onslow Gardens, Elizabeth Bay, the 84sqm apartment becomes a study in considered subtraction. Belqis Youssofzay and David Hart approached the plan with care and precision—reconfiguring internal walls, removing redundant partitions, and reintroducing natural light. The result is a sequence of connected living spaces—sunroom, study, living, and dining—that unfold with calm coherence. Storage is integrated rather than added. Thickened walls double as cabinetry, allowing the apartment’s original Art Deco features to remain visually continuous and uninterrupted.
