A new chapter on memory lane.

BW: What state was the home in when you first took it on, and what did you see in it that others might not have?

Oliver: It needed more than a bit of TLC when we first took it on. The courtyard was completely overgrown, the walls had lost most of their gyprock, the floors were full of holes and there was barely any natural light in the home. We knew it would be a big project, but we also knew opportunities like this don’t come around often. What drew us in was the location, close to the City and Oxford Street yet tucked into such a quiet pocket, along with the fact it was an end terrace with genuinely good proportions. With Frances Newton Reserve sitting right beside us, we could see the potential to add windows that captured the garden outlook and brought in more light. There was also a neglected side passage that we knew could become extra living space.

BW: What did the house truly need? How did you try to honour that?

Paige and Karina: When we first met Oliver on site, the home needed real attention and restoration. It had history dating back to the 1880s, but that history was buried under years of neglect. Walking through, each room felt disconnected from the next, the rear courtyard was overtaken by tree roots, the staircase was barely holding on and there was very little natural light. It took months of considered decisions, from colour choices to the detail in the skirting and architraves, to restore the original staircase and treat the courtyard as an extension of the interior rather than an afterthought, opening the home up for modern indoor-outdoor living.

BW: Tell us about the history at 19 Palmer Lane, Darlinghurst?

Oliver: We’re not certain of the home’s exact history, but locally it’s well known that Tilly Devine ran parts of her underworld empire from nearby Palmer Street, including a number of properties on Palmer Lane once known as ‘The Doors District’. This stretch of Darlinghurst was the centre of the notorious Razor Gang era of the late 1920s and early 1930s, when the suburb was known as ‘Razorhurst’. Walking tours still cover the area today, and the period was even the subject of the television series Underbelly: Razor.

BW: What about this build challenged you, and did anything surprise you along the way?

Oliver: Honestly, everything challenged us. Nobody really prepares you for what a project like this involves. A lot of people thought we were mad to take on a house needing so much work, especially as first time renovators, and there were moments we wondered if they were right. From the early planning through to handover, it became a second full time job, but the vision at the end kept us pushing through. What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed the planning and design process. I spent countless late nights working through floorplans, kitchen layouts, wardrobe details and bathroom finishes, taking early concepts and refining them for space, storage and function. Looking back, that time was well spent. We couldn’t be happier with the result.

BW: What were the non-negotiables?

Paige and Karina: First impressions mattered enormously to us. Holding onto the home’s history - and celebrating the chapters that came before it, sat at the centre of the design. The original Victorian entry door now speaks to the laneway in a bold Van Helsing black, modernised with a gloss finish and an oversized chrome door knob, a small but striking nod to the terrace’s era. Everyday luxury mattered just as much. We introduced heated bathroom floors, integrated kitchen appliances and custom joinery for storage throughout, including fine shaker joinery that runs the full height of the rooms, finished with curved hardware for a touch of personality. As you move throughout the home, surfaces are textured and tactile - highlighted in the use of natural stone; the many slabs of Bianco Lousia granite are a deliberate and distinct form of expression. The loop of the carpet, the wave in the bathroom wall tiles and the organic nature of the handmade glass tiles in the ensuite all form the backdrop for colour to be introduced through bold furnishings.

BW: How would describe how this home feels, and how did you achieve that?

Paige and Karina: It's classic, calm and renewed. Walking in now, you feel instantly at home. The house asks you to slow down and leave the day behind as you move across the warmth of the timber floors and into the heart of the home, where every space meets - it has a quiet stillness. The living, dining and kitchen open onto the courtyard without any real division, an extension of the home built around connection. We chose to paint the interior in Bone rather than a stark white, a deliberate decision to keep the palette warm and true to the terrace’s era while still feeling current. Classic details like the Victorian skirting, architraves and window frames honour the home’s history, so that everything new feels as though it has always belonged there.

BW: What do you love about Darlinghurst? Any favourite local haunts nearby?

Oliver: The location is second to none. You’re right in the centre of everything which is easy to forget given how quiet the street is. It’s a five minute walk to Oxford Street, William Street or Hyde Park, and about ten minutes to Kings Cross or the CBD. Our regular spots are The Rusty Rabbit for brunch and Kyu by Kyue, which recently opened, for excellent Japanese.

BW: What do you hope this home will be for its next custodian?

Oliver: We hope it becomes a luxurious inner city sanctuary for whoever comes next. Our aim was always to create a timeless home that honours its Victorian history while offering all the comforts of modern living. We still smile every time we walk through the front door, and we hope the next owners feel exactly the same.

Paige and Karina: Our hope for 'Palmer Terrace' is that the home continues to hold space for different people to create memories and share love for centuries to come. We hope that the home which has played a role in so many stories before, ours included, continues to do so and is now appreciated even more with its finer luxuries alongside its history.

View the listing: 19 Palmer Lane, Darlinghurst