London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jun 10, 2026

Low-Cost Renovation Adds Glamor To A 1920's Home

Low-Cost Renovation Adds Glamor To A 1920's Home

Glamor doesn’t always have to come with a price tag. But while this is true, you wouldn’t expect a renovation of a 1920’s home to be a cheap project, especially if the result is as stunning as you see here. Located in the fancy Tamarama beachside suburb in Sydney, Australia, the home was amazing renovated by David Langston- Jones

The low-cost renovation made use of a humble palette of materials including plywood, fibre cement and corrugated iron. But, even so, the home looks really stylish, glamorous even.


The architect was very clever when compartmentalizing the house, making the most of the available space. The bathroom, for example, has a false ceiling and this leaves enough space above for a mezzanine level.


Climb the alternating tread stairs to the right of the kitchen and reach the mezzanine level. Up here, a loft bed shares the space with a simple desk and a series of open shelves. The combination is really attractive and this zone can thus serve as a sleeping area, home office or reading nook.


This this level didn’t originally exist, there was no way for natural light to get up here so the architect came up with a simple solution: creating a skylight.


The bathroom and the service areas were relocated to the center of the house in order to improve the indoor-outdoor connection and to bring in more natural light.



Corrugated metal sheets were used for both the interior and the exterior of the house. Outdoors, they were used to form a fence as well as to partially cover the exterior walls. Inside the house, you can see this material in the form of a kitchen backsplash and wall panels for the bathrooms. The ceiling is also covered with these sheets.


By combining such humble materials in such unexpected ways, the architect managed to give the house a totally special look. If you look at the kitchen, you’ll see how clever the design is. You’ll see the plywood in its natural form but also painted bright yellow to add a touch of color to the space.


A simple but stylish dining table separates the kitchen from the lounge area. Geometric prints and patterns and bold colors give the area an energized vibe. A really interesting detail is the way the louvre windows were integrated into the design. The space below and above them was used for a fireplace, TV and storage.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Farmers Warn of Crop Losses Following Months of Unseasonal Rainfall
Civil Aviation Authority Launches Review of Regional Airport Operations
Met Office Issues Heat-Health Alert Across Parts of England
National Grid Introduces New Measures to Protect Winter Energy Supply
Northern England Rail Upgrades Receive Additional Government Funding
Wales Advances Green Hydrogen Strategy to Decarbonize Heavy Industry
UK Expands Recruitment Incentives to Address Shortage of STEM Teachers
High Court Opens Door to Climate Liability Claims Against Major Industrial Emitters
Police Service of Northern Ireland Investigates Major Personnel Data Breach
Defense Ministry Overhauls Procurement System to Accelerate AUKUS Submarine Program
Net Migration Remains Above Government Expectations, New Data Shows
UK and Scottish Governments Agree Framework for Expanded North Sea Wind Development
UK Treasury Launches New Tax Incentives to Boost AI and Semiconductor Investment
Bank of England Signals Continued Caution on Interest Rate Cuts
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Digital Modernization Plan Centered on AI Integration
Nebius Opens Major Robotics and Physical AI Laboratory in London
Bank of England Data Shows Strong Rise in New Mortgage Approvals
Network Rail Completes Landmark Upgrade of Severn Tunnel Rail Infrastructure
East West Rail Passenger Services Between Oxford and Milton Keynes Set for December Launch
GlaxoSmithKline Reportedly Pursues £7 Billion Acquisition of US Cancer Drug Developer Nuvalent
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates Likely to Remain Unchanged Despite Energy Market Risks
NHS Trusts Launch Job-Cutting Programmes as Financial Pressures Intensify Across England
More Than 130 Labour MPs Urge Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
Keir Starmer Orders Technology Firms to Introduce Smartphone Nudity Controls for Under-18s
UK Unveils £400 Million National AI Supercomputer Fund and New Economics Institute
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
×