Relative dimensions and space.

“The house is a Tardis,” owner and interior designer Kel says. “Cute from the front and yet once you step over the threshold it opens up into a much more spacious and practical layout than a traditional terrace house.”

That sense of surprise is central to the home’s appeal. Owned by Kel and her husband Mick, an industrial designer, since 2007, the residence has been completely rebuilt internally into a highly resolved architectural home that balances design rigour with deep emotional practicality. It is not simply beautiful - though it is undeniably that - but profoundly liveable.

The couple purchased the property as newlyweds before relocating to Amsterdam for work, where the renovation quietly began to take shape, long before construction would ever start.

“The whole time we were there, I was plotting and planning the renovation,” Kel says. “We lived in six different homes across Amsterdam and I kept fine-tuning ideas and taking inspiration from each one. By the time we came home, we were ready to go.”

Working alongside Pioneer Projects, the result became a deeply collaborative process grounded in craftsmanship and detail. “They really understood what we were trying to achieve,” Kel says. “I absolutely love that part of renovation - collaborating on the details.”

That attention is evident everywhere. Full-height custom joinery dissolves clutter into architecture. Pocket doors disappear seamlessly into walls. Louvred windows encourage cross ventilation and soften the shifting light throughout the day whilst a 10 metre skylight invites brightness, as well as atmosphere.

“Glebe’s tallest tree lines up exactly in the distance through one of our skylights,” Kel says.

The material palette carries the same sense of restraint and permanence. Italian marble sits alongside Sydney sandstone, Australian hardwood floors and Japanese tiles, while wool carpet softens the private spaces upstairs. Despite raising two children here over nearly two decades, the home retains the composure of something newly completed.

“Good design should make you feel good, even if you don’t realise why,” Kel says. “Proportion, light and balance are all key. Then there’s the practical side - clever storage, robust finishes, cross ventilation, framed views. All of those things together make it a very comfortable home.”

Designed to absorb family life as it evolved over time, bedrooms once shared by young children now comfortably accommodate teenagers with queen beds, study zones and room to retreat. Built-in seating and a retractable awning transformed the rear garden into an extension of the living space. Even the cubby beneath the staircase - affectionately known as the “Harry Potter room” - has matured from childhood hideaway into storage for surfboards and camping gear.

“We are all sentimental, so storage was key,” Kel says. “I challenge you to find another inner-city home with more storage.”

That emotive thread feels embedded into the architecture itself, in a home that has quietly accumulated memory and meaning over years of occupation. Kel speaks fondly of sunlight flooding the family bathroom in the mornings, of large gatherings where the house opened fully to the garden, of working from the front room studio while feeling connected to the street outside.

“The kids are devastated we’re leaving,” Mick says. “One said, ‘The house just feels like part of our family.’”

Outside the front door, Glebe continues to evolve and shape daily life, with the couple describing a suburb that remains deeply communal - artistic, inclusive and unusually green for its proximity to the CBD.

“It’s so close to the city, but there’s this incredible density of trees and birdlife,” Mick says. “We often sit on the porch on a Saturday morning with the papers and everyone stops for a chat.” The street also benefits from a locals-only traffic rule, meaning parks are always in ample supply.

Set in a unique position within the suburb: moments from Glebe Point Road, the harbour foreshore, the light rail and the Fish Market redevelopment, it remains unexpectedly peaceful. at Lombard St is local traffic only with lots of parking?

The family’s routines are deeply tied to the neighbourhood - harbour walks ending inevitably at Messina, mornings at Ada’s Affair, dinners at Sushi Gen or Tom Yum Tum Gang, weekends drifting through Glebe Markets or along Blackwattle Bay. “I can walk into the city in twenty minutes,” Mick says. “But it never feels hectic here.”

That contradiction perhaps explains why the house resonates so strongly. It offers the efficiency and connectedness of inner-city living, but tempers it with softness, greenery and calm. Architecturally ambitious while restrained. Highly detailed without losing warmth.

And behind its quaint façade, its greatest surprise is the feeling there is always more to discover.

View the listing: 5 Lombard Street, Glebe