House in Surry Hills II is a minimalist home located in Sydney, Australia, designed by Architect George. The Federation semi-detached home, stripped of its accumulated layers and thoughtfully reimagined, reveals how contemporary craft can honor architectural heritage while embracing radical efficiency. On just 90 square meters, architects have choreographed a 135-square-meter home that feels generous despite being half the size of the average Australian family dwelling. This achievement speaks to a deeper understanding of spatial craft – the ability to sculpt volume and light with the same precision a furniture maker brings to wood.

The material palette reads like a master class in restraint: concrete, walnut timber, natural stone, and finely detailed steel elements. Each material performs multiple roles, much like the honest joinery of traditional craftwork where every element serves both structural and aesthetic purposes. The concrete walls become both canvas and sculpture, their thermal mass moderating the interior climate while their raw texture provides a counterpoint to the warmth of walnut surfaces throughout the home.

The steel and timber veil that wraps the new addition exemplifies this project’s sophisticated approach to materiality. Rather than merely screening the interior from urban density, this element actively manages light quality and privacy – a contemporary interpretation of the traditional mashrabiya or Japanese sudare. The 600mm-deep balcony, designed not for occupation but as a living frame for climbing plants, transforms architectural necessity into landscape poetry.

The project’s most innovative gesture lies in its treatment of light as material. Floor-to-ceiling glazing, strategic lightwells, and carefully positioned courtyards create what the architects describe as “opportunities for bringing light from above.” This approach recalls the great modernist tradition of treating light as architecture’s most essential medium, yet here it serves the distinctly contemporary need for urban sanctuary.