Apartment in a converted silo in Newtown is spacious - and circular

Straight lines and right angles are the norm in Australian homes, yet according to recent research from Toronto and Harvard universities, the human brain has a hard-wired preference for curves. Magnetic resonance imaging of human brains in action has shown that we have a stronger positive emotional response to curved spaces, curved furniture, curved packaging and even curved watch faces than we do to their straight-edged counterparts.

This apartment within the award-winning Silos development offers an opportunity to make your internal wiring sing. It’s circular. It’s also spacious, stylish and well located, right on the border of Newtown and Enmore.

The distinctive building – formerly the F. Crago & Sons Newtown Flour Mill – will be familiar to anyone who travels west on Sydney Trains. It’s trackside, houses 63 residential apartments and maintains a healthy respect for history.

The mill’s original concrete silos and some of its beautiful timber pylons have been incorporated into the design. Perspex signs at ground level describe Crago’s history, which dates back to 1896, and some of its original health and safety signage is also on display: “All bins must be closed when not on mixture. This is a must.”

In 2006 the redevelopment won two National Trust of Australia awards, one for conservation and energy management and one for adaptive reuse, as well as a conservation medal from Marrickville Council.

Apartment No. 8 is laid out over two levels, with its entrance on the third floor. Its two balconies – a substantial entertainer’s one on the upper floor and a Juliet balcony, good for pot plants rather than people, on the lower floor – face north, towards the railway tracks. The rough concrete walls, brain-tickling curves, generous proportions and stylish fixtures make for a handsome and appealing whole.

Both the apartment and the building are well maintained. You could leave No. 8 exactly as it is or update some of the surfaces – kitchen floor, carpet, bathroom tiles – to take it up a notch.

The downstairs bedroom is enormous and seductive. The upstairs one, which is almost a perfect half circle, is, er, cosy: ideal for one child and a single bed.

The apartment has plenty of storage, an internal laundry and includes a car space on a stacker.

The owner says: “We fell in love with the apartment’s distinctive architectural features and heritage. It’s not your average unit. The location, so close to King Street and Enmore Road as well as the CBD and Sydney University, sealed the deal.”

Room for improvement: It’s time for new carpet and perhaps a change of paint colour.

8/1 Gladstone Street, Newtown
$780,000+
2 beds, 1 bath, 1 parking
Built 2005
Size 110 square metres
Strata levy $1423 a quarter
Inspect Wed, 6pm-6.30pm; Sat, 9.45am-10.15am
Auction October 17
Agent Belle Property Newtown, 0404 185 184

Need to know:
Last traded $580,000 in March 2012.
Highest recorded apartment price in Newtown (past 12 months) $3,255,000 for 2/12-16 Sloane Street in August.
Median price for units in Newtown $610,000.

Recent sales:
$810,000 for 15/39 Laura Street in August.
$765,000 for 8/480 King Street in July.
$880,000 for 48/5-17 Queen Street in July.
Source: Domain Group

Surrounding area:
There’s lots to love about Newtown. It boasts colourful street art and residents, quirky shops, community gardens, buzzing bars and cafes, a fine cinema, award-winning bakeries and gelato bars, markets, festivals and live entertainment venues. It is also close to the University of Sydney and just four kilometres from the CBD.
Serviced by buses and trains close to all the action on King Street and Enmore Road. There is an espresso bar within the old flour mill development. Recently revamped Newtown train station is minutes away and the apartment falls within the catchment for the highly sought-after Newtown High School of the Performing Arts.