{"id":662817,"date":"2026-10-23T05:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T05:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/662817\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T05:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T05:14:15","slug":"inside-esoterikos-beautifully-minimal-surry-hills-studio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/662817\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Esoteriko\u2019s Beautifully Minimal Surry Hills Studio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interior architecture and design practice Esoteriko was born from a \u201cshared passion for thoughtful, layered design and a commitment to detail and materials \u2013 we always have our materials surrounding us and on hand when we work\u201d, says its founder, Anna Trefely, from their new studio<\/a> in Sydney\u2019s Surry Hills. <\/p>\n

What was the design concept? We wanted the space to be simple, to let the bones of the heritage warehouse be the hero. Minimal interventions were made to achieve maximum functionality. Even a meeting room was considered as a \u2018light touch\u2019 \u2013 almost as a piece of furniture. It couldn\u2019t extend to the ceiling, so we found alternative ways to create privacy and acoustic treatment. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe Esoteriko team at work. (Photography: Jessie Prince)<\/p>\n

Were there requirements for the space? We were after a naturally light-filled open work area with enough space for the separate meeting room. The light here really appealed to me as it floats through the soaring steel sash windows. The whole building was once a factory full of seamstresses and their whirring sewing machines. Apparently, during the war, they would sew army uniforms, which would then be taken to the nearby cricket stadium for fittings. The building manager told me that it took many rounds with metal detectors to extract all the sewing-machine needles from between the floorboards. Whenever I spot a glint on the floor, I often think of those hard-working women. <\/p>\n

What did your alterations entail? We sanded old layers of paint from the floorboards to expose the original hardwood and built the meeting room, which we lined with a natural seagrass for the acoustics. We added simple lighting and furnishings, in addition to custom-designed display shelving, desks and storage. <\/p>\n

\"\" (Photography: Jessie Prince)<\/p>\n

How does the space reflect the work you do? The completed space is honest and hardworking. It does a lot with not much, creating comfort without being excessive. I\u2019m obsessed with the light and love being surrounded by our samples while still having breathing room to see things properly. I also enjoy being within walking distance of so many suppliers, collaborators and art galleries<\/a> in this part of Surry Hills. <\/p>\n

What are your favourite pieces? Our meeting chairs, which we sourced from a vintage<\/a> agent and had upholstered in leather hides ranging from tan to beige. Another favourite is the table we designed in furniture-grade birch plywood with interlocking exposed joints. We created a double-layered top that provides a large under-bench shelf, where we store recycled paper ready to sketch on. The desk\u2019s design facilitates our creative process. <\/p>\n

The Design Team<\/p>\n

ESOTERIKO: esoteriko.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"Founder Anna Trefely (above right) says they start a typical day early with design meetings, going Founder Anna Trefely (above right) says they start a typical day early with design meetings, going through piles of materials and rough sketches on rolls of trace paper. There is a faint waft of incense and a low beat pumping from the speaker as they move from computer screen to tabletop, reviewing and refining. Following this are client or contractor meetings. Over lunch, they often have suppliers present new products or materials or visit showrooms.a faint waft of incense and a low beat pumping from the speaker as they move from computer screen to tabletop, reviewing and refining. Following this are client or contractor meetings. Over lunch, they often have suppliers present new products or materials or visit showrooms. \u2018Kyrre\u2019 stool from Ikea. \u2018Cosm\u2019 chair from Living Edge. Vases by Floris Wubben and from Studio Gardner. (Photography: Jessie Prince)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Saskia-Neacsu\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSenior Content Producer
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSaskia Neacsu\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tSenior Content Producer\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Saskia Neacsu is a Senior Content Producer working across the digital side of Belle. After earning her Bachelor of Architecture at Bond University, Saskia cut her teeth at some of Australia\u2019s most revered architecture practices before realising her truest medium was the written word. Her work has appeared in Habitus, IndesignLive and Luxury Travel, where she regularly interviewed lauded architects, designers and artists – drawing out the philosophies and quirks that fuel their craft. When she\u2019s not writing about homes, you\u2019ll often find her with a book in hand or curating idyllic itineraries for travels abroad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Interior architecture and design practice Esoteriko was born from a \u201cshared passion for thoughtful, layered design and a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662818,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-662817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662817","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662817"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662817\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}