CONVICT COTTAGE

The birthplace of Convict Interiors

Completed: 2023
Interior Design: Convict Interiors
Build: Lewis Carpentry & MJP Projects
Styling: Jono Fleming
Photography: Louise Wellington
Words: Sam Eggleton

Some houses change your life. This one built mine.

Convict Cottage isn’t just where I live, it’s where Convict Interiors was born. A spark I’d sat on for years finally caught fire in the middle of a global pandemic, with too much time and not enough distraction. What began as a personal renovation turned into a full-blown creative leap, and the home that gave me the name, the vision, and the confidence to finally back myself

Originally built in the mid-19th century, the cottage housed wardens of the Darlinghurst Gaol, constructed, fittingly, by convicts. It’s seen many lives since. The most recent? A working sex premises. Yes, really. Like all the best homes, it wears its layers.

Heritage protections meant the bones stayed. No structural changes. But we got clever. I realigned spaces, flipped the colour palette and made every millimetre pull its weight. The space started to make sense again.

A Story in the Walls

A modern living room with a black chair featuring a woven backrest and seat, a small white sculptural side table with a glass vase containing yellow, white, and orange flowers, beige and white striped rug, white built-in shelves with decorative objects, framed art, books, and plants, and a blue abstract wall sculpture on the white wall.
Close-up of a curvy beige textured upholstered armchair next to a light blue round side table with a bowl of orange and green office fruits and a glass of water on top, on a wooden floor.

Living Small, Thinking Big

You step right off the street into the living room. There’s no grand entry, and that’s the charm. From there, it opens up into the kitchen and spills out to the courtyard. That outdoor connection was critical for me. It’s where I cook on the Weber, light up the courtyard in pink neon, project films on the neighbour’s wall, and host proper parties. I wanted that flow to feel effortless. Inside to out, guest to host.

And of course, always somewhere for Taco, my tuxedo cat (and very handsome housemate), to stretch out in a patch of sun.

Bright, modern living room with white walls, wooden floor, and large window and glass door. Contains a white sofa with pillows, a unique curved white armchair, a black coffee table with decor, a white side table with a bowl and drinks, a tall potted plant, and other furniture and decor items.

Originally, the kitchen was tucked into a narrow pass-through to the bathroom. I’d be off to the side, out of sight, stuck while guests mingled. That wasn’t going to fly. So I flipped it entirely. Took an old built-in storage cupboard, reworked the layout, and tripled the usable space.

Now, the kitchen island anchors the whole home. Oven, microwave, storage, all tucked in. It’s practical, but it reads more like a piece of furniture than a standard kitchen. And best of all, it puts me right in the heart of things whether people are on the sofa or out back in the courtyard, I’m right there with them.

Kitchen: A Chef’s Dream, in 2.4m

A modern kitchen with white cabinets, a copper faucet, and open wooden shelves holding decorative items, glassware, and dishes.
A man chopping lemons in a modern white kitchen with natural light, green plants, and minimalist decor.

Bathroom: Skylit and Subtle

Behind a concealed door off the kitchen is the bathroom. Modest in size but lifted with smart detailing. We brought in skylights to bounce natural light, paired matte surfaces and copper fixtures, and let the architecture breathe a little. Clean, calm, and no fuss.

Modern bathroom with white tiled walls, a walk-in glass shower with copper fixtures, a small window with black louvered shutters, a white sink, and a white countertop with a towel on it.
Modern bathroom sink area with a round white vessel sink, copper faucet, mirror, and decorative towel, with a small plant in a glass vase on the countertop.

Upstairs: The Cathedral Loft

The loft bedroom was stage two of the renovation. My quiet showstopper.

By vaulting the ceiling and tapping into previously unused attic space, I created something pretty special. The new bedroom sits under soaring rafters with soft north light flooding in from a Juliet balcony. It feels like a tiny cathedral tucked just off Oxford Street.

Smart, low-profile joinery is built right into the roofline, leaving no dead space. Acoustic insulation and a double underlay beneath the carpet muffle the buzz of the city, wrapping the room in calm. A ceiling fan, gentle airflow, and natural light by day make it the kind of room you never want to leave. It’s hard to believe this space was once just roof cavity, and now it’s one of the best spots in the house.

Minimalist bedroom with white walls and sloped ceiling, decorated with a tall mirror, a white dresser with small plants and decor, and a bed with a striped pink and white blanket.
A bedroom corner with a black nightstand featuring a white lamp, a small glass vase with flowers, and decorative bottles. Part of a bed with a white pillow and beige and green striped pillow. A framed landscape painting hangs on the white wall above.

The Turning Point

Being featured in Never Too Small (2024) and Real Living (2022) was the moment I realised this wasn’t just something I loved doing. It was something I was good at. And more importantly, it was something I wanted to offer to others.

Convict Interiors was born right here. From the convict brick walls to the courtyard parties, every corner of this house has shaped what the brand stands for: clever design, emotional connection, and finding charm in constraint.

Living room decorated for Christmas with a large decorated Christmas tree, festive ornaments, wrapped presents, colorful abstract artwork on the wall, and a woman in a yellow dress sitting on a white sofa holding a mug, smiling.
A man sitting on white-painted stairs in a modern, bright living space, smiling, with a sofa and coffee table nearby.
Interior of a modern, minimalist living room with a white couch, a small side table with a plant, and a wall with built-in shelves decorated with books and small artifacts. There is a black armchair with woven seat and a decorative blue piece on the wall.
A living room with white walls, a large potted tree, a white armchair, a small side table with a bowl of fruit and drink, a coffee table with decorative items and a colorful book, and an open doorway leading to a kitchen area.
A modern kitchen with a white island countertop, decorative yellow glassware, a white lamp, and a sliding glass door leading to an outdoor space with a dining table and chairs. There is a small adjacent room with a toilet visible.
Interior of a living room with a black front door open to a garden, a white couch with brown and patterned pillows, a wooden side table with a pink book and a clear vase with red flowers, a striped sculptural floor lamp, and a rattan wall-mounted lamp.
Images of a loft-style bedroom with a bed and a black bedside table, and two bathroom photos, one of a shower and another of a sink area.
Decorative wall shelves with vases, framed artwork, and plants in a neutral-toned interior.