The modern renovations underneath this inner-city workers cottage

A tiny workers’ cottage is remodelled with an eye to maximising space, storage and style.

The house
A double-fronted, two-bedroom workers’ cottage in inner Sydney. The owners rented the late-1800s home before buying it a few years ago.

Who lives here
Software engineer Josh Carolan, his wife Sally, who works in investment management, and Blue the cat.

What we did
“We enlisted architect Adam Higginbotham from Michiru Higginbotham to reimagine the floor plan and fenestration to maximise space and light while keeping the beautiful facade and timber construction,” says Josh. “He added an extra bedroom and study upstairs, opened up the lower level living area to include a sleek kitchen, and created a seamless connection to an outdoor courtyard.”

Favourite room
“I love the courtyard,” says Sally. “It’s a perfect extension of the living area. But for Josh, who mostly works from home, his favourite space is the light-filled study.”

The ’hood
“There are dozens of great restaurants, pubs and cafes,” says Josh.

Future plans
“No immediate plans,” says Sally. “We love this house. It is perfect for us.”

Best advice
“Have a storage plan,” says Josh. “Our architect provided detail right down to where appliances could be stored but still easily accessed. When a small space is designed with this in mind, the house is easy to keep tidy.”

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