Architecture — Carter Williamson
Interior Design — Claire Delmar
Photography — Pablo Veiga

Wurrungwuri, a reinvigorated heritage-fronted home in Sydney, deftly blends the past and present with an eye to the future, reimagining a historic cottage with a contemporary new extension. This stunning residence was crafted by Carter Williamson, who transformed it to meet the clients’ vision of a house built for entertaining, filled with light, and exuding luxurious yet approachable elegance.

The project brief was clear: celebrate the original 1881 Victorian cottage while creating a contemporary, connected space. At the street front, the unassuming, original facade is carefully preserved, while at the property’s rear, a fluid form sits overlooking the river — its sinuous expression exploring the limits of spatial ambiguity.

One of the first houses constructed on its street, the four-room cottage was originally built with sandstone quarried from the site, with extensions added over time with no cohesion from one to the next. In its latest renovation, alterations were removed, and a new, harbour-facing extension integrated, cascading over four distinct levels, cut deep into the sandstone bedrock. Linking old with new is a light-filled, cylindrical staircase — the first of the home’s defining ‘voids’, encased in artfully tessellated white bricks which nod to the home’s artistic past. Once belonging to artist Montague Scott, the residence now sits as an architectural artform in its own right, its gallery-like interiors showcasing an incredible collection of contemporary works.

“One of Wurrungwuri’s defining features, and perhaps the reason behind the exceptional feeling of lightness and calm, despite a busy mix of materials, references, and eclectic artworks, is its use of voids, which create a sense of connection throughout the home.”

But, perhaps the most artistic element of all, is the home’s striking extension, which sits like an open book, cleaving into two wings reaching towards the harbour. Rooms are interwoven across the levels, infused with a sense of both the playful and the refined, with social spaces and private dwellings carefully dispersed across the plan. One of Wurrungwuri’s defining features, and perhaps the reason behind the exceptional feeling of lightness and calm, despite a busy mix of materials, references, and eclectic artworks, is its use of voids, which create a sense of connection throughout the home, bridging the cottage and extension.

The ground level serves as the hub of relaxation, featuring a spacious main lounge and a cosy TV room, seamlessly connected by adjoining terraces and a central staircase that leads to the backyard and jetty. 

The home’s design maximises the breathtaking view without overshadowing its own architectural elegance, incorporating thoughtfully crafted viewpoints that highlight both the striking interiors and the scenery beyond its walls. The material palette furthers this, maintaining a focus on naturality to invite the outdoors in. Here, sandstone, brick and stone take centre stage, offset by concrete and timber throughout.

Wurrungwuri is a home of grand proportions and harmonious balance; a blend of old and new, public and private, offering a retreat for a busy family that is both a functional space and a work of art in its own right.