BALFOUR RESIDENCE

A 1970s Sydney townhouse embraces its original spatial qualities in this contemporary renovation by Tom Mark Henry interior design.

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LET THERE BE LIGHT

After adding a fourth level by excavating the cellar to create a laundry and entertainment room, the designers focused on the central staircase as a key element that allowed visual connection between the levels. Its lack of risers and glass balustrade allow light to penetrate the upper and lower spaces — maintaining an openness characteristic of 1970s architecture, and one of the most visible references to the home’s original design.

View of a wall with painting and furnished with cabinets

Project Type: Townhouse

Location: Sydney, Australia

Architect: Tom Mark Henry

Photographer: Pablo Veiga

CONTEMPORARY IDENTITY

Contemporary materiality and detailing also speak to the new identity that Tom Mark Henry crafted for the home, and its residents — a growing family of five. Classic materials and textures (timber, stone, rendered walls and v-groove ceilings) were paired with textured marbles and ribbed glass in a mostly pared-back, neutral scheme against which a few bold elements serve as punctuation points.

Side view of the dine area

VISUAL SIMPLICITY

The kitchen-dining area offers direct access to the garden, highlighting its role as the core of the home. This relationship is accentuated by new, full-height steel-framed doors, and a limestone floor that flows past the threshold and into the paved courtyard, essentially doubling the ground-floor entertaining space.

Explore The Look

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Minimal Induction Cooktop

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Integrated Double DishDrawer™

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Integrated Refrigerator Freezer

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