Australia has been home to some of our favourite architecture of 2023 so far and so it has proven once again with 19 Waterloo Road in Sydney. Designed by Australian design firm, SJB, this majestic and eye-catching piece of architecture boasts a staggered arrangement of windows and patterned sections of brickwork that come together to form the fascinating facade of this wonderfully quirky piece of design.

19 Waterloo Street from SJB also has a shop and self-contained flat within which were also designed by SJB to replace a damaged structure on the small plot in the Surry Hills suburb of Sydney. Heavily influenced by the beautiful and whimsical houses that feature in movies by French director Jacques Tati, 19 Waterloo Street has a spectacular patchwork-like exterior that is made from reclaimed materials and broken bricks to add a real sense of non-conformity to the aesthetic of this build.

A series of uniquely shaped windows on the facade of 19 Waterloo Street are perfectly framed by pale bricks cut to a range of lengths and arranged in neat formations on the street-facing exterior of this contemporary design project. Towards the bottom of the wall, an L-shaped portion is clad in broken, reclaimed bricks that are cleverly designed to resemble the sandstone bases of neighbouring historic buildings and ensure that the home remains eye-catching but not in an overly ostentatious manner.

A dark timber batten screen keeps the compact entrance hall from encroaching upon the retail space at 19 Waterloo Street, which occupies the front portion of the ground floor. Beyond the retail space, you’ll find the self-contained flat with living spaces and a bedroom. An additional bedroom is located down a series of steps behind the shop. Throughout the apartment, vibrant colours are paired with more understated tiled floors. Engaging accents such as the mirrored kitchen surfaces and mustard-yellow furnishings, add a touch of eccentricity to the space and we’re big fans of the interiors here at Coolector HQ.