On a clear day

Renovating an apartment can be fraught with obstacles, not least of which is making sure the apartment above stays there. Luckily for the owners of this beachside apartment, none of the building's internal walls were load bearing.

This was the main factor in transforming the layout of the apartment to open plan, says spatial designer Jennie Dunlop of Dunlop Design.

"It was fortunate that the structure had a concrete slab construction, and with the exception of a single pillar, there were no load-bearing walls. This turned into a big advantage, as compromises had to be made in other areas."

Compromises included not being able to alter the facade, or move or change the size of existing windows. With a brief requesting an integrated design complete with audiovisual system and fireplace, the first place the designer looked was up.

"The original ceiling surface was literally painted onto the concrete slab, meaning there was no ceiling space in which to conceal wiring. There was also no extra height to be had," says Dunlop.

With head space at a premium, a new ceiling was installed. This sits no more than 50mm from the original, creating enough room to run the wiring of the integrated systems, and giving the illusion that the lighting has been recessed into the ceiling.

The concrete slab construction also proved problematic when it came time to vent the rangehood in the kitchen.

"The solution lay in a bulkhead we installed to house the ducting for the extractor fan. As the owners wanted the home to be as streamlined as possible, this bulkhead also houses speakers in the kitchen and recessed lighting in the sitting area."

Another design challenge was the result of the homeowners' desire to enjoy a sea view from their bedroom, which was previously a completely enclosed space.

"Originally the idea was for an opening with louvres or bifold shutters. However, louvres and shutters are not overly soundproof meaning if one person wants to go to bed and the other wants to watch television, it's a lose-lose situation.

"I didn't quite know how we were going to do it, but I came up with the idea of a mirrored bifold wall using a piano hinge. Luckily, we had a good builder who took the idea and ran with it. He came up with a viable solution that was as close to the original concept as possible," says Dunlop.

This then left the designer to find a way to accommodate a fireplace. Siting was an issue in the newly created open-plan living space. With glass on two sides, and the requirement to provide a designated dining area, the answer was to place it on the diagonal, between the window and the ranchslider.

"With a total span of 800mm, we were able to squeeze the fireplace in without a millimetre to spare. Again, we were fortunate in that the newly created space meant the fireplace could be direct vented outside. It also gave us somewhere to put the television and surround-sound speakers."

The result is a spacious, light-filled home that takes full advantage of glorious sea views.

Story by: Justin Foote