Perfect Storm Home is the Perfect Minimal Design Inspiration ⇒ Concrete-like surfaces help Australian design studio Killing Matt Woods foster a dark and brooding atmosphere inside this Sydney apartment. The Perfect Storm apartment, named in reference to its bunker-like appearance, is designed by local studio Killing Matt Woods to be an "intimate yet utilitarian environment".
Located in the suburb of Camperdown, the 73 square-metre apartment is shared by a young couple who wanted their living quarters to boast a more minimal aesthetic. "The clients work in design-related disciplines and sought to shed their home of unimportant accumulation, creating a space free of clutter and visual pollution," explained the studio.
With this in mind, the studio looked to brutalist architecture and local industrial warehouses to see how they could achieve a pared-back and brooding look within the home. This muted colour and material scheme also comes as part of Woods' desire to avoid the "ubiquitous Sydney design approach", which he thinks typically lends itself to bright, seaside-style interiors.
Almost every surface in the apartment – which comprises just one open-plan room – has been hand-rendered in dark grey paint to leave a mottled finish akin to that of concrete. The paint covers the peripheral walls, sloping ceiling, staircase balustrade, and balcony of the mezzanine level which accommodates the bedroom.
In the kitchen below, similarly, grey-toned marble forms a splashback and scallop-edged breakfast island, while storage cupboards have been completed in black. Sheer, slate-coloured curtains have also been used to diffuse natural light seeping in from the full-height glazed wall that fronts the living area.
Fixtures like taps, wall sconces, and door handles have been crafted from gold-hued brass. A statement light comprised of two concentric glowing circles has also been installed on the ceiling.