Case Study — Darlington
A four-month search for a derelict city-fringe warehouse, and the vision it took to turn it into one of Sydney’s finest artist-in-residence conversions.
The Brief
In 2024, we were approached by Jenny Robinson — an internationally acclaimed printmaker — and her husband Stu, who had recently relocated to Australia. Their brief was as exciting as it was demanding: find a warehouse on Sydney's city fringe that could become both a working print studio and a home.
It's the kind of project we love. Ambitious, personal, and with almost no margin for the wrong call.
Jenny's practice relies on large-format printing presses — serious industrial equipment that most residential or even semi-industrial spaces simply can't accommodate. The brief wasn't just "find a warehouse." It was find a warehouse in the right location, with the right structural bones, that could house heavy printmaking machinery and be shaped into a genuine home.
That combination narrows the field fast. Sydney's warehouse stock is limited, tightly held, and rarely comes to market with both the scale and the character this project needed.
The Search
It took four months of dedicated searching before we found the one — an off-market warehouse in Darlington, a pocket of Sydney's inner city that sits right on the edge of Chippendale's arts precinct, between Redfern and the city. Location-wise, it was exactly right: close to the energy of an established creative community, but with the industrial stock to match.
The building itself, though, needed vision. When we found it, it was run-down — the kind of space most buyers would walk straight past. Seeing past the current state to what it could become took real conviction from Jenny and Stu. We introduced them to builders and engineers who could help translate that vision into something buildable, and with that support, they had the confidence to commit to the purchase.
At a glance
“What a wonderful brief. Finding the exact space, in the exact location — and helping Jenny and Stu have the confidence to see the vision through — that’s what made this project.”
Dan Sofo, Director & Principal Buyers Agent, UNICORN
The Conversion
Before — Derelict Warehouse Interior
During — Build with Engineers
After — Jenny Robinson Prints Studio
The Outcome
Fast forward several years, and Jenny and Stu have transformed the warehouse at 60–66 Vine Street, Darlington into something remarkable: a beautiful home, an attached Jenny Robinson Prints studio, and a third commercial space they now lease to an architect whose practice complements the creative energy of the building perfectly.
Every element they wanted — the open, light-filled warehouse living space, the dedicated printmaking studio, the additional income-generating tenancy — made it into the final result. Today, it stands as one of Sydney's best examples of a warehouse-to-artist-residence conversion, and something of a local icon in the Darlington streetscape.
There were trials along the way, as there always are in a project of this scale. But the transformation from derelict warehouse to one of Darlington's most distinctive residences speaks for itself.
Final configuration
What Made This Project Work
01
The Exact Space
Not a compromise — the real thing, in a suburb with genuine arts-precinct credentials and the industrial bones to match.
02
Vision, Realised
Buying a derelict warehouse takes conviction. Connecting Jenny and Stu with the right builders and engineers early gave them the confidence to see the project through.
03
Every Box Ticked
A home they love, a studio built for serious creative work, and a third space that adds ongoing value — all under one roof.
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Anyone can buy.
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A considered purchase from brief to settlement — for first home buyers, families, downsizers and investors.