{"id":511867,"date":"2026-03-01T13:41:23","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T13:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/511867\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T13:41:23","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T13:41:23","slug":"an-architect-transforms-a-former-workshop-into-a-compact-stylish-home-with-spectacular-water-views","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/511867\/","title":{"rendered":"An architect transforms a former workshop into a compact, stylish home with spectacular water views"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An architect transforms a former workshop into a compact, stylish home with spectacular water views.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ben and Diana Mitchell, pictured here with son Jude and dog Bleu, were keen to retain the character of the building. \" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/d44f78790d4135ac2eeabaf80b229bfb8f4f4dd5.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 dtSulF\"\/>Ben and Diana Mitchell, pictured here with son Jude and dog Bleu, were keen to retain the character of the building. Jennifer Soo <\/p>\n<p>The home<br \/>A two-storey, three-bedroom home in Sydney\u2019s Mosman featuring clever solutions to maximise internal space, crowned by a small rooftop terrace overlooking Middle Harbour.<\/p>\n<p>Who lives here<br \/>Architect Ben Mitchell, co-founder of Those Architects, his wife Diana Mitchell, an environmental planner, their son Jude, 2, and dog Bleu.<\/p>\n<p>What we did<br \/>\u201cI refashioned the interiors, turning 110 square metres of space into 175 square metres,\u201d says Ben. \u201cI added a master suite and north-facing windows to capture cooling summer breezes and winter sunlight, and redid the courtyard garden.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Favourite room<br \/>\u201cThe dining room,\u201d says Ben. \u201cIt is where we gather as a family and bond around the dining table.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u2019hood<br \/>\u201cMosman is close to the city, the harbour, beautiful beaches, abundant bushland, and has a tight-knit community,\u201d says Ben.<\/p>\n<p>Future plans<br \/>\u201cThere are no further plans; instead, our focus is on rotating and expanding our collection of furniture and art throughout the house,\u201d says Ben.<\/p>\n<p>Best advice<br \/>\u201cEngaging an architect helps unlock potential most homeowners may not envision,\u201d says Ben. \u201cArchitects can improve light and airflow and introduce clever joinery to maximise space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ben says the dining area, his favourite space, displays \u201ca moody material palette of rich, dark timbers alongside exposed concrete and bronze architectural hardware\u201d.\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/744ffe999fbd5138f0dcb8c0b93c57dd69ffab74.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 dtSulF\"\/>Ben says the dining area, his favourite space, displays \u201ca moody material palette of rich, dark timbers alongside exposed concrete and bronze architectural hardware\u201d.Jennifer Soo <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The kitchen cabinetry features oak veneers and a concrete benchtop. Designed by Those Architects and made by Mark Welch, the dining table is solid walnut.\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cc47dbdcd54ffa05662bce5698625a66ad8a3448.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 dtSulF\"\/>The kitchen cabinetry features oak veneers and a concrete benchtop. Designed by Those Architects and made by Mark Welch, the dining table is solid walnut.Jennifer Soo <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A bathroom tucked under the staircase. \u201cThe existing concrete floor was polished and concrete was also used to construct elements such as the bathtub,\u201d says Ben.\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/90add0a2181e95f1cf5a00fee0f33f273587e4a7.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 dtSulF\"\/>A bathroom tucked under the staircase. \u201cThe existing concrete floor was polished and concrete was also used to construct elements such as the bathtub,\u201d says Ben.Jennifer Soo <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u201cThe new roof terrace adds a whole layer of character and amenity to &#10;the house, including stunning views of Middle Harbour,\u201d says Ben.\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8acce2b69b683b123b46e2a4e5bcd1722dfab125.jpeg\"  class=\"sc-d34e428-1 dtSulF\"\/>\u201cThe new roof terrace adds a whole layer of character and amenity to<br \/>\nthe house, including stunning views of Middle Harbour,\u201d says Ben.Jennifer Soo <\/p>\n<p>Get the best of Sunday Life magazine delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning. Sign up here for our <a class=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/link\/follow-20170101-p5jutx\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An architect transforms a former workshop into a compact, stylish home with spectacular water views. Ben and Diana&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":511868,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":["post-511867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/511868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}