There’s plenty to love about this Surry Hills apartment that boasts 45 square metres of outdoor space on either side of the living area.

Inside, however, proportions were less desirable. The existing floor plan contained no space for an internal dining area, and the lounge was positioned with its back to the kitchen.

Interior design studio JAM were engaged to unlock space in the 26-square-metre living area, without actually extending the floor plan. The brief was to create three separate zones (living, dining, kitchen) that interact with one another.

‘The clients love to cook and entertain so making sure they could be in the kitchen while they had guests and still talk to one another was imperative,’ explains Jodie Gillman, director of JAM.

The solution — create a hardworking island bench with integrated seating to suit a small dining table.

A banquette seat provides a cosy spot for two that transitions into a bench seat or a place to position the television opposite the new lounge area.

When the doors are opened on either side, the apartment has the feeling of a rooftop bar. JAM played on this idea when designing the kitchen, which features esmeralda quartzite reminiscent of a luxe hotel.

The green of the stone and timber cabinetry also ties in with the apartment’s treetop views.

What appears as white joinery in images is actually a very light shade of pink that changes as the sun moves throughout the day.

‘The subtle pink joinery colour was decided on as both us and the clients didn’t want a standard white kitchen, but didn’t want anything to take away from the stone,’ Jodie says.

The renovation has completely changed the client’s lives, allowing them to entertain, work and relax in space.

Jodie says, ‘The apartment has a youthful light energy now and is a place you want to relax in.’