Oxford St, Collingwood is a reworking of an existing warehouse apartment in the iconic Foy & Gibson Heritage Building, sitting across three levels. An outdated early-2000s stark white interior sat in contrast to the warmth and texture of the heritage building surrounding it. The clients had peeked through a neighbour's window, noticed the warm timber rafters and original brick revealed within, and knew they wanted to uncover the bones of their own space as part of the renovation.
With the shell revealed, the design approach became about reconfiguring a clunky plan to improve flow and usability, and introducing a material palette that could sit comfortably alongside the newly uncovered warmth and texture. The fire services pipework, the brick, the rafters and the structural timber beams were no longer obstacles to work around. They became the core personality of the space.
Our clients, Dunc & Dee, both have vibrant and warm personalities, and came to the project with strong references of her own: an affinity for ornate English and French joinery detailing, mixed metals, and a copper bath imported from India. Seemingly in opposition with the industrial bones of the building, rather than resist these instincts we worked to weave them into the interior. The ensuite became a warm and considered world of its own: the copper bath set against handmade Moroccan zellige tiles, tumbled brass tapware, fluted glass, Italian Murano wall sconces and a striking Patagonia-topped vanity.
Elsewhere, the palette holds a quieter tension. Soft-toned joinery, natural stone and warm metallic finishes in brushed copper, bronze and aged brass sit alongside the rawness of the existing structure, never competing, always in conversation. The discipline was in the editing: knowing when a detail earned its place and when it didn't.
At the centre of the ground floor is the kitchen island, a full slab of Patagonia granite, dramatically veined and crystalline, extending to form a counter-height dining setting for six. In a compact footprint it does everything: a surface for the long, multi-course dinners Dee loves to host, and a worktop generous enough for the sprawl of everyday cooking. The living and kitchen areas resolve as one connected space, flexible enough for a quiet evening or a full table of friends.
Upstairs, the master suite is reorganised around a central joinery element that forms the bedhead, houses built-in bedside surfaces in natural stone and, on its reverse, a dedicated shoe storage system befitting a wardrobe built for every occasion. A subtle level change defines the robe zone, stepping up to overlook the bedroom below. Windows frame views back into the warehouse interior, keeping the apartment in quiet dialogue with the building it belongs to.
The result is a home that holds Dee and Dunc's life comfortably: their collections, their cooking, their guests, their dogs. The rawness of the warehouse is still there, but the rich layering of the interior palette makes it feel unmistakably like home.
