Ines English and Caleb Harrower weren’t looking for a new rental when they saw this warehouse apartment being advertised, but upon attending the inspection, they knew they had to move.
‘It’s always been a dream of mine to live in a warehouse style apartment, so “warehouse conversion” was constantly in my search bar,’ explains actress and student Ines. ‘We were living in a terrace house in Paddington, and we really didn’t need or want to move, but I begged Caleb to go to the inspection with me to check it out… It’s the only place we inspected.’
The apartment is located in the 1915 Griffiths Building: a seven-storey warehouse in Surry Hills that originally served as a tea warehouse. The building was sold off for residential redevelopment in 2014, then converted into apartments designed by PopovBass Architects.
Ines’ parents were constantly moving and renovating houses when she was growing up, which has given her a natural knack for styling different spaces. ‘The windows and open-plan area with original architraves made this space so easy to style and decorate,’ she says.
To contrast with the existing white walls, Ines and Caleb have filled the space with bold yet cosy colour. ‘I want the space to be super inviting and fun when friends come over,’ Ines says. As the property is a rental, the couple have only been able to hang a few artworks with permission, so an eclectic mix of other design objects and vibrant furniture pieces essentially serve as art forms in themselves.
There are a few new items in the mix (such as the pieces from P0ly Designs and Occasional Pieces – captioned above) but most are secondhand gems, sourced from auctions. ‘My love of vintage and second hand comes from my dad, who’s a bit of a wizard in turning trash into treasure, and my mum has a knack of just blowing your mind by just placing the right things next to each other. I think this has made the interior atmosphere a little eclectic, but also thoughtfully put together,’ Ines says.
The location of this apartment is just the cherry on top for this creative duo, who can walk to Ines’ acting agency, Caleb’s shop Tattoo Rosies, and their favourite spots including Paramount House Hotel, Poly, Hollywood Hotel, and Chinatown.
Ines says, ‘We go days without leaving a 500-metre radius sometimes, which we are not proud of!’
