London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 04, 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
Badenoch Defends Tory Candidate Jailed for Antisemitic Abuse of Luciana Berger
NHS Spends £240m a Year Storing Paper Records Despite Digital Push
Apple Seeks Court Order to Stop OpenAI Using Alleged Trade Secrets
Breaking With the Past: One of the World’s Smallest Countries Changes Its Name
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Comcast: Tied to a Chair and Hit in the Face With Cake: The Regular Humiliation Ritual at the US Corporate Giant
Aston Martin Faces Legal Threat Over £550m Rescue Deal
Reform UK Wants the Royal Navy to Return Channel Boats to France
Spain and Morocco Trade Blame After 72,000 Migrants Enter Ceuta
US and Japan Step In to Support the Yen in Rare Joint Intervention
Met Police Investigated Journalist Who Questioned Cambridge Professor
The AI Pricing Problem: Companies Cannot Predict Their Own Bills
Europe’s Heat and Drought Are Now Disrupting Power, Shipping and Tourism
Apple’s OpenAI Lawsuit Becomes a Public Fight Over AI Hardware
UK Man Jailed After Keeping His Mother’s Body in a Freezer and Claiming £78,000
A SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon — and Scientists Hope to Watch
World War II munitions discovered after wildfires in southern France
BP profits reach four-year high amid Middle East conflict
Europe’s Drying Rivers Trigger Power Cuts, Factory Shutdowns and Wildfire Emergencies
UK Driver Sentenced to Four Years for Staged Electric Vehicle Brake Failure Fraud
Conservative Party and Reform UK Face Scrutiny During Clacton By-Election Campaign
Ministry of Justice Reviews Early Release Rules After Public Anger Over Police Killer Cases
NHS Radiographers Report Rising Racist Abuse From Patients Across UK Hospitals
UK Banking Regulators Face Pressure After Customer Loses Fourteen Thousand Pounds in AI Voice Scam
Research Challenges Treasury Control Over UK Public Spending and Calls for Greater Local Decision-Making
Home Office Begins Four-Week Weapons Surrender Campaign Across Major English Cities
Southern England Records Driest July in Nearly Two Centuries as Drought Concerns Grow
Apple Challenges UK Government Request for Access to Encrypted User Data in Legal Fight
BP Reports Sharp Profit Increase as Middle East Conflict Drives Global Oil Prices Higher
Nigel Farage Expresses Openness to Potential Alliance with Restore Britain
AstraZeneca Merger Talks Reflect Intensifying Pharmaceutical Consolidation
University Merger May Set Template for Higher Education Reform
Apple's Legal Challenge Highlights Growing Tension Over Encryption and Surveillance
Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Agenda Signals Shift Toward Greater Regional Devolution
Mental Health Trust Faces Criticism Over Planned £25 Million Budget Cuts
Scientists and Cultural Leaders Call for Funding to Save Jodrell Bank Observatory
UK Manufacturing Output Reaches Highest Level in Nearly Two Years
University of Greenwich and University of Kent Complete Landmark Merger
Nigel Farage Unveils Naval Border Proposal Amid Questions Over £5 Million Donation
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Tougher Action on Small Boat Crossings
Apple Challenges UK Government Over Encrypted Data Access Demands
AstraZeneca Shares Fall After Reports of $400 Billion Bristol Myers Squibb Merger Talks
Triple Lock Lifts UK State Pension but Leaves a Wider Retirement Gap
Danube Drought Forces Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Plant Into Full Shutdown
Ceuta Death Toll Rises as Spain and Europe Clash Over Border Response
Cuba’s Grid Fails Again as Fuel Crisis Deepens
Nazca Lines Flight Crash Kills Thirteen as Peru Suspends Aerodiana
Modern Slavery Decisions Broaden the Al Fayed Inquiry’s Frame
FIFA’s Retreat Leaves a Larger Question Over Who Guards the Game
Two Firefighting Crew Members Die in Helicopter Collision West of Athens
×