This 1800s terrace house in historic Millthorpe on the out-skirts of Orange was abandoned by the previous owners and essentially an empty un-liveable shell. There was virtually nothing that didn’t need work - from the door hardware, to the floorboards, to the ceilings and lathe and plaster walls.

With stringent Council conditions about what could and couldn’t be done, and a firm desire to restore many of the original features, the owners embraced the opportunity to revive this forgotten heritage gem, and make it work for 21st century living.

The palette and materials were chosen for their warm, rich hues, which reflect the era of the original building. Terracotta, walnut and an earthy green added warmth and vitality inside, while still referencing the heritage features.

Brass was chosen for the light fixtures, door hardware and tap-ware in keeping with this theme

Laundry

We tweaked the floor-plan to borrow some space from the bathrooms and hallways for a laundry nook, that hides away behind a giant sliding door.

We re-finished and re-purposed the original sliding door hardware from another part of the terrace.

Bathrooms

This was an extremely tight space with plumbing constraints and access on the second floor. The high ceilings allowed for the installation of heat lamps, and underfloor heating was a much-needed addition for when temperatures plummet below zero.

We tiled the two bathrooms (main & ensuite) in complementary tones, using warm beige, terracotta and dusty grey, which helped to complement some of the imperfect original finishes retained in the rest of the build.

Gold tap-ware, which will patina over time, added an extra layer of warmth.

Kitchen

The primary objective here was to retain the original brick, but that also meant we had to work with the existing windows in their existing locations, which posed some challenges and limitations!

The doorway onto the roof terrace was repurposed so we could run cabinetry along the full length of the rear wall.

The solid timber shelf functions as additional storage, but also acts as a divide between the bench-tops and the splash-back tiles.

The earthy green palette references the gums outside the kitchen window, as do the speckled irregular finger tiles used in the splash-back, but the real hero is the original brick, which really is the true feature of this kitchen.

Joinery: Elite Kitchens

Builder: Grant Build

Laundry Nook

Main & Ensuite Bathrooms

Kitchen