‘The Hattery’ Paddington Residence, Sydney
Preserving the heritage framework of a late 1800s 4-storey brick warehouse (a former hattery), this family sanctuary was extensively revitalised with an adroit telescoping of eras. Enveloped in a forest of refined timber, eclectic art and furniture pieces seep into every corner with the gravitas of a gallery and the allure of an elegantly radical pleasure trove.
With space measuring at 130-square metres per floor and the total living space amounting to over 500-square metres (plus a rooftop terrace), timber elements frame the lofty white interior canvas with soothing drama. Rich depths of Walnut lay strong foundations, articulating both foundational and key aesthetic elements: wall panels (cladding 4-metre wall heights on some levels), joinery, and custom furniture that presents as sculpted forms.
Every inch is meticulously crafted – from Milanese-style door jambs and closets clad in dyed straw-weave to the curved bathroom mirror frames and intricately detailed accessory partitions concealed behind the master bedroom’s smoked glass and timber walk-in-wardrobe façades. Excluding the floors, all wooden surfaces are hand-finished with oil and beeswax, inviting tactile interaction with their smooth, glowing surfaces.
Gradients of intensity lighten on each rising level, culminating in Accoya Pine batons lithely cladding a steel pavilion straddling the rooftop entertaining terrace. Entering the ground floor via a 3-metre solid Walnut ribbed door, timber panelling lines the walls and ceiling to create a luxurious passageway to the guest room and study. The lower ground reveals a media room and gymnasium clad in Walnut and mirrors. Ascending to the main living zone, the mood shifts. Sluiced by natural light, the expansive angular returns of broad herringbone Oak floorboards add a sense of calming decompression as does the incline of the round-turned stairway balustrades and open-tread staircase behind glass walls.
Forming the nucleus of the living quarters is the kitchen’s large triangular island bench with rounded corners hovering upon elongated dowels. Similarly, the fully integrated surrounding joinery plus credenzas (including a built-in bar) and shelving lining the dining area are elevated above the floor, granting their solid mass a sense of weightlessness. Sunlight streams within via a glass-bottomed pool directly above the kitchen hub, enabling reflections to ripple across the surfaces.
Rare Italian mid-century furniture finds sourced by Gallery DONCameron plus contemporary pieces mingle with artworks collected over decades on every level. Yet despite their impressive provenance, the home presents as a robust and relaxed homage to family life thanks in large to the tactile nature of the custom timber elements.
