The Gentleman: A New Scale for an Old Apartment

RESIDENTIAL · POTTS POINT, SYDNEY

The Gentleman occupies 95 m² within an Art Deco building in Sydney’s Potts Point. Both owners are over two metres tall, while heritage requirements restrict alterations to the original door surrounds. YSG Studio retained those surrounds and adjusted doorway heights, furniture dimensions and appliance positions, beginning with the practicalities of everyday use.

Window-side dining table, chairs and disc pendant — A dining table and chairs sit by the window between pale walls, beneath a disc-shaped pendant light.

Retaining the Surrounds, Raising the Doorways

Apart from the entrance, the internal doors and their surrounds were first removed. Once the openings had been raised, the original surrounds were reinstalled, with reddish-brown timber bases making up the difference below. The door leaves were painted white.

Part of the bathroom partition projects into the dining room, creating additional space for the laundry appliances that previously occupied kitchen storage. A timber banquette follows the angle of the wall, with chamfered edges to its base and seating facing the harbour and bridge.

Corridor with layered door surrounds and dining-room opening on the right — Layered door surrounds line the corridor; an opening on the right leads to the dining room, with another room visible beyond.

Glass dining table by the window and angled timber banquette — The glass-topped dining table stands near the window, beside a timber banquette that follows the turn of the wall.

Pale upholstered banquette on an angled timber base — The banquette turns at an angle, with pale seat and back cushions set above a timber base.

Timber cross at the dining-table corner and reflections in the glass top — A timber cross is set into one corner of the dining table, whose glass top reflects the pendant above.

Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom

The kitchen retains its galley layout, with stainless-steel cabinetry replacing the piecemeal joinery. Lauriana quartzite forms the splashback and clads the angled extractor hood, above a stainless-steel worktop.

In the bedroom, the timber headboard extends to either side, with open compartments providing bedside storage. Pale walls meet a dark-brown ceiling. The bathroom combines terrazzo with green and purple flecks and a Crema Khrusos marble vanity whose underside slopes inwards.

Amber Flemish textured glass has been reintroduced in the bathroom and entrance door. This type of glass was once used throughout the building’s apartments; light passing through it casts a golden colour across the bathroom walls and countertop.

Stone vanity beside a golden window — Through the doorway, a golden window, stone vanity and finely speckled wall surface are visible.

Timber headboard with open storage and slender wall light — The timber headboard extends horizontally, with an open bedside compartment beneath a slender wall light.

Bedroom and curtains beneath a dark-brown ceiling — A dark-brown bedroom ceiling meets pale walls, while the window in front of the bed has both short and full-length curtains.

Galley kitchen between two runs of cabinetry — Cabinetry lines both sides of the galley kitchen, with a worktop beneath the stone-clad hood on the left.

Veined stone splashback and hood above a stainless-steel worktop — Veined stone continues from the splashback onto the hood above, with a stainless-steel worktop and oven below.

Stainless-steel sink and veined stone splashback — The sink is set into a stainless-steel worktop, with flowing stone veining behind the curved tap.

Glazed door at the end of the kitchen and curved ceiling patterns — At the end of the kitchen, a glazed door leads outside beneath divided glazing; pale curved patterns mark the ceiling.

A Dark Living Room and Geometric Patterns

Warm-white walls run through the dining room, corridor and bedroom, while the original herringbone floor has also been lightened. The living room takes on a deeper toffee colour, with a sofa, armchair, piano and record cabinet gathered in the same room. These contrasts draw on the owners’ fondness for Vermeer’s paintings. Curves painted on the glossy, milky-white ceilings of the shared spaces relate to their interest in music.

The dining table, designed by YSG with Maiden Co, has timber crosses set into the four corners of its glass top. The motif comes from Balkan ćilim flatwoven rugs and relates to one owner’s Bosnian and Croatian family background. Similar geometric patterns appear on the dining chairs, banquette and bedroom window textiles, while the record cabinet has geometric handles that spread to either side.

Piano, record player and open shelves against a toffee-coloured wall — A piano and record player stand along the toffee-coloured wall, beneath open shelves of books and objects.

Dark sofa and glass coffee table by the window — A dark sofa sits in front of the window, beside a glass coffee table holding books, magazines and a vase.

Living-room seating, glass coffee table and openings beside artwork — A sofa, armchair and glass coffee table form a seating area, with shelves and a doorway on either side of the artwork.

Round balcony table with the harbour bridge beyond — A small round table and chairs sit by the balcony railing, overlooking the harbour bridge and city buildings.

Gold-coloured wall light and amber door glass against a pale wall — A gold-coloured wall light is mounted on a pale wall, beside a dark door frame containing amber glass.

View through the dark timber entrance towards the indoor banquette — Dark timber doors and framing mark the entrance; the indoor timber banquette is visible through the open door.

Bedroom doorway and bedside wall light seen from the corridor — From the corridor, the bedroom doorway frames the timber headboard and an angled wall light.

Timber bedside cabinet with open book storage and round knobs — Books fill an open compartment in the bedside cabinet, above doors fitted with small round knobs.

Curved tap and stone basin beside textured glass — A curved tap and stone basin sit beside a textured-glass window, with golden light falling across the countertop and wall.

Stone vanity with a sloping underside beneath a wide mirror — Seen from the front, the vanity has an inward-sloping underside, while the wide mirror reflects the window panes.

Pale door surrounds along the corridor beside the dining banquette — Pale walls and door surrounds continue along the corridor, with a timber banquette extending into the dining room on the left.

Kitchen worktop, tall cabinetry and the living room beyond — Stone and stainless-steel work surfaces line one side of the kitchen, opposite pale tall cabinetry; the living room lies beyond.

Books on a glass coffee table above a geometric rug — A geometric, multicoloured rug is visible beneath the glass coffee table, which holds books, magazines and a vase.

Record player on a timber cabinet with geometric handles — A record player sits on a timber cabinet fitted with geometric handles that extend to either side.

Piano, patterned chair and curved ceiling decoration — A piano stands against the wall behind a chair upholstered in geometric fabric, beneath a pale ceiling painted with curves.

Person on a patterned chair against a toffee-coloured wall — A person sits on a patterned chair against a toffee-coloured wall; books and glassware rest on the small table beside them.

YSG retained the apartment’s door surrounds and reintroduced a type of textured glass once used in the building. Doorways and built-in furniture were adjusted to suit the two owners; the palette draws on light and shade in painting, ceiling patterns relate to music, and geometric furniture details refer to one owner’s family background.

Project credits

Project — The Gentleman
Location — Potts Point, Sydney, Australia
Interior design — YSG Studio
Area — 95 m²
Project year — 2026
Builder — Promena Projects
Styling — YSG
Custom dining table — YSG × Maiden Co
Photography — Anson Smart
Images courtesy of — YSG Studio
Project information and original feature — YSG Studio; Yellowtrace (Dana Tomić Hughes, 26 October 2026)
Editorial adaptation — 01DES

The Gentleman: A New Scale for an Old Apartment

Retaining the Surrounds, Raising the Doorways

Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom

A Dark Living Room and Geometric Patterns

Resource selection

Access

High-resolution project images

Colorado Home: The Comfort of Home, the Ceremony of a Hotel

Boulder Kitchen: Room for the Marks of Everyday Life

Bulka Café: Wood, Light and Vinyl Records

TS Residence: Bringing the Horizon Indoors