13 Gipps Street, Birchgrove: A masterclass in light, volume and craft

There is a rare alchemy that occurs when brilliant young architects take on a traditional peninsula cottage. The footprint is tight, the boundaries unforgiving, and the brief impossible on paper: preserve the history, deliver the volume. Most shy away from it. Aomura Studio did not.

13 Gipps Street, Birchgrove is the result.

A c1910 worker's cottage reimagined into one of the most intelligent renovations we have brought to market on the peninsula, and a clear signal of where considered design is heading in this pocket of Sydney.

The light

Oval skylights cast a halo-like glow through the interiors. An internal courtyard draws air deep into the floorplan. A double-height void delivers a sense of scale rarely found behind a 1910 facade.

The materiality

Chevron American Oak underfoot, met by Bejmat terracotta tile and custom Breccia Botticelli marble across the kitchen and island bench. Every surface earns its place.

The flow

A pavilion-style extension dissolves the line between indoors and out, opening via French doors to a private courtyard with underfloor heating.

The vista

Upstairs, a second living space frames heritage rooftops against the city skyline through a single striking picture window, a quiet reminder of this home's place in the peninsula's evolving fabric.

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, on 108 sqm. This is a home that honours its heritage roots while delivering a genuinely high-end, contemporary lifestyle for the modern Balmain peninsula buyer.

A project of this calibre is a rare gift to the market.

Auction is set for Thursday 30 July, 5pm, at our Balmain office.

Contact Rita Lopresti, Matt Hayson or Rosemary Chen to arrange a private viewing.