The wide Greek-Revival style façade was added in 1911.Entry though a pair of massive timber doors is to a vestibule which steps up to the grand living room (155 sq.m. approx), flooded with light, and featuring a stone open fireplace. At one end is a fitted study, and at the other is a splendidly proportioned dining area. (Here, a faded painted banner proclaiming ‘Holiness Becomes Thy House’ testifies to the building’s provenance.)

The kitchen, elegantly fitted with Smeg appliances and marble benchtops, adjoins a butler’s pantry. Two sets of French doors open to a broad east-facing paved terrace with views over Fitzroy. To the other side of the entrance hall are 2 double bedrooms (one opening to a small courtyard), separated by a smart family-size bathroom. Above is a mezzanine gallery with a study area at one end, leading to the apartment-sized main bedroom/retreat, with dressing room, bathroom and separate W/C.

On the upper level is a voluminous storage space with potential for conversion to further accommodation. The garage level, entered from a right-of-way and including a cellar, storeroom, powder room and workshop, might be modified to include a rumpus room or work-from-home space.

Layered with Fitzroy history and retaining exquisite period detail, this light-filled property minutes from Brunswick Street features hydronic heating, richly polished timber floors, security entry and quality fittings. It’s one of a kind!

If you like it, you can even buy it now.

The 3200 s.f. Schein Loft is located on the eighth floor of the building, above the existing warehouse. The interior spaces are arranged as a series of overlapping zones rather than enclosed rooms. This open layout, in addition to the windows that are on all sides of the unit, welcomes a relationship to the outside and emphasizes views of the city.

Terraces are located on the East and West fades, one extending from the master bedroom and the other from the residence’s generous living and dining space. The latter, which overlooks the Hudson River towards the West, is accessed through the faceted glass curtain wall. Natural [west] sunlight floods the interior living spaces through this side of the building, allowing for passive solar energy to be gained by the concrete floor in the wintertime. This double-glazed fade acts not only as an impressive viewport to the city but is in fact a highly insulating element for the home. Two layers of glass with heat-absorbing low-e film on the outside layer make for a quiet internal environment and for a stable climate with little additional heating and cooling. The lighting, ceiling fans and the window shades, which react to climactic changes, are efficiently controlled by an intelligent home system.

The interior spaces are intended to be comfortable and relaxing, withdrawing the residents from the busy urban environment below. Natural materials inundate the spaces while the spine, a sculptural structure that runs through the loft, defines boundaries softly rather than rigidly and provides an aesthetic language that is casual and warm. The structure is composed of a thin black metal frame and recycled bogwood veneer, an oakwood that, after having been buried in peat bogs and preserved from decay, is naturally stained by tannins in a blond and black pattern.

As the main artery of the loft, the spine distributes the private spaces adjacent to its organic structure and moves light and air from one end of the residence to the other. It holds a freely suspended ceiling plane, which provides cooling, heating and fresh air, thanks to a built-in humidifier and air purification system. The music room, guest bathroom, master bedroom and adjacent bathroom grow from this smooth and softly lit axis.

Essentially an extension of the living quarters, the master bathroom has a spa-like and escapist quality, complete with overflow bath and steam shower. Other interior features include a 7 ft long fireplace, built from materials from local stone quarries, and art storage areas that are integrated into the anatomy of the residence, either as extensions of the bogwood structure or as spaces concealed by pivoting walls that seamlessly blend into the space.

All these elements combined – the environmental, spatial and aesthetic considerations ? make of the Schein Loft a most adequate place for finely-tuned living, a sense of balance and order permeating the whole.

The original plan was a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom standard condo configuration, early 1990`s style with little thought to how people actually live. With this plan every wall came down nand the loft was converted into a one bedroom with 2 bathrooms. The warehouse feel was then resurrected with large living spaces original brick exposed and unfinished formed concrete as a feature wall.

Light was now able to penetrate most of the new floor plan through the large 9 ft windows. Even though this home was built with a single guy in mind, a lot of thought was given to providing the owner with healthy living environment.

Whether it´s the Bio fuel fireplace the natural fibers used in all the upholstery or the home being on a timer and controlled by the owners I Phone.