After years of open-plan layouts dominating residential design, luxury apartment projects are increasingly embracing a different approach – one that places renewed emphasis on defined spaces, privacy and the experience of moving through a home.

For over two decades, apartments, particularly in the premium sector, have been designed for open-plan living by minimising walls and eliminating corridors in favour of more light, flow, space and freedom. However, a counter-movement is now gathering pace across the high-end residential markets of London, New York and Paris, with architects reintroducing defined entry foyers, dressing rooms, private retreats and carefully sequenced interiors into luxury apartment projects as they reconsider what may have been lost when the room was removed.

Sydney's One Darling Point is emerging as one of the earliest Australian examples of this global shift.

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Developed by Lendlease and Mitsubishi Estate Asia, the $500-million project will deliver 41 residences across 17 levels in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Designed by Tzannes with interiors by Alexander &CO., the development has been conceived around the idea of combining the openness associated with contemporary apartment living with the spatial characteristics traditionally found in larger private homes.

The renewed focus on defined rooms reflects changing expectations among luxury apartment buyers, particularly downsizers moving from substantial family residences who are unwilling to compromise on space, privacy and the sense of ceremony associated with detached housing.

The interiors at One Darling Point are directly informed by this global design shift.

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“These homes are neo-classically inspired: foyers and ante-rooms, salons for dressing. They are far more like homes, generous plays with scale and detail, rhythm and light,” Alexander &CO. Principal Jeremy Bull says.

Each apartment begins with a dedicated entry foyer featuring stone flooring and timber detailing in the form of a custom portal and veneer walls to create a distinct sense of arrival before occupants enter the main living spaces. The experience is consistent across all apartment configurations, from the two-bedroom residences through to the crowning penthouse.

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The concept extends into the primary suite, which is designed as a private retreat and arranged as a sequence of interconnected rooms rather than a conventional bedroom-and-wardrobe configuration. Residents enter through a walnut-lined dressing salon and can turn one way to reach the primary ensuite, lined in emerald quartz marble with twin vanities and a sculptural bath, or the other to enter the bedroom, reinforcing the experience of a freestanding house.

“The sense of space in these homes is something rarely found in the eastern suburbs. They’re genuinely house-like, from the width of the living areas to the proportions of the bedrooms and the presence of proper entry foyers,” says Lendlease senior development manager Zara Henry.

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Early buyer interest reflects this appetite for spatial generosity, she confirms.

“We’re seeing buyers who are selling family homes or consolidating multiple properties to secure what they view as a long-term residence. There’s a clear alignment in the buyer profile: people who prioritise space, privacy and enduring design.”

The decision to limit the project to 41 apartments within a 17-storey building was intended to reinforce this residential character. Elevated positioning within the tower ensures each residence benefits from expansive harbour views, abundant natural light and a tangible sense of separation from the surrounding streets.

Tzannes’ design responds to the building’s Darling Point and Edgecliff setting, integrating the heritage-listed 1941 Commonwealth Bank building into a contemporary sculptural form. The project also introduces new retail and hospitality offerings at ground level, alongside a publicly accessible pedestrian link connecting the retained heritage structure with the new development.

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As expectations around quality apartment living continue to evolve, projects such as One Darling Point suggest that premium residential design may be entering a new phase – while open-plan layouts remain important in some contexts, the upper end of the market prefers spaces that provide privacy, structure and a stronger sense of home.

With luxury buyers seeking the features and experience of a traditional private home within an apartment setting, the return of the room is increasingly shaping the future of high-end residential design centred on space, sequence and purpose.

All images supplied

Architecture News & Editorial Desk

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