Drill Hall House Leichhardt

The 1905 former army drill hall in Leichhardt, in Sydney’s inner west, has been reimagined as a relaxing home for its new owners.

Combining architecture and interior design elements, our design approach responded to the existing structure and building fabric; the site’s orientation and generous garden; and the owners’ desire for entertaining spaces and private retreat zones.

Although not listed on the local heritage register, we salvaged and restored surviving original details, and removed unsympathetic earlier additions to make way for contemporary insertions.

Now, the historic arched brick entryway provides access directly into the hall, where living, dining and kitchen areas flow together, opening to a sunny terrace. Above this space, two new mezzanine lofts accommodate a guest suite and study, with private terraces set into the roofline.

Downstairs – at garden level – the lower ground floor was entirely rebuilt as the main bedroom suite, and it opens to the newly landscaped large garden and upgraded pool area.

“At our first meeting with Richard Peters and Julia Cumines on our renovations, it was clear that they wanted to understand us. The conversation focused on how we lived and what was important to us.  Through these initial conversations, Richard and Julia came up with options which we had never considered though felt specific to us.  As the design process progressed, it was apparent that this was a partnership where our views were incorporated into the vision which they had for our house.

When the construction started, they were there to oversee the project and work with our builders.  They had a great relationship with the builders and whenever there was a major decision to be made, we knew that they and the builders had already discussed the issue to come up with options. This put us at ease and we always felt confident that our views and interests were at the forefront of their minds.  By the time we had to make decisions on finishes and furniture, it felt like they and Martine knew what we wanted.

We’ve now been in our house for over a year, and we (and our dogs) love it.  We now see every day many of the aspects which Richard and Julia described, such as how the sunlight comes through the house in various ways depending on the season and time of day.  It really feels that this is a house just made for us and this is due to the work which the Tobias Partners team put into the design, build and finishes.” – Client