Chippendale Warehouse Transformed into Architectural Masterpiece
A century-old warehouse reborn as a $19 million inner-city sanctuary, The Pigeon Shed blends gallery-scale drama with family living in a bold architectural reinvention.
2 min
Behind an unassuming brick façade in Chippendale, The Pigeon Shed is a Sydney warehouse that rewrites the rulebook on inner-city renovation. Part gallery, part residential sanctuary, the former atelier that earned its nickname thanks to a colony of wild birds that once called it home is today an architectural anomaly.
Owned by creative director Beau Neilson, the daughter of billionaire arts patron Judith Neilson and fund manager Kerr, the transformed 1914 industrial shell has been an artistic labour of love for the owner of The Vanguard in Newtown, reimagined alongside the team at MCK Architects.
Purchased in 2012 for $3.1 million, Neilson transformed the one-time dilapidated shell over a decade.
Since then, the five-bedroom, four-bathroom Chippendale property has appeared in several architectural publications, such as Habitus, Architizer and The Design Files, celebrated for its unique blend of steel, timber, marble and concrete surfaces coupled with its intelligent use of space.
The savvy reinvention of the compact 324sq m corner block footprint has resulted in 735 sq m of internal and external living space across three levels.
Although selling agent Shannan Whitney of BresicWhitney is not publicly commenting on the price guide, the home is reportedly being shopped around for about $19 million.
The one-time soap factory is being traded in by Neilson for a $20 million waterfront estate she recently bought in Double Bay, according to news reports.
The contemporary home features gallery-sized entertainment zones with dramatic high ceilings, vertical gardens and landscaped courtyards that allow for oodles of natural light and private gatherings inside and out.
The main living level houses a vast gourmet kitchen featuring a dramatically long island bench, a hidden butler’s pantry and an internal courtyard that flows seamlessly to an indoor pool. On the same level, a family room also adjoins a second internal terrace.
A unique copper-clad elevator joins all three floors, including a lower-level lounge room, a library with a secret door to a guest bedroom suite, and a separate study.
The top-level layout has three more bedrooms incorporating the upper-floor primary wing with a full-width street-facing terrace, a designer ensuite and dressing room. Each of the two remaining bedrooms has its own en-suites and shares a grand landscaped side terrace.
Additional features include a built-in solar system, hydronic heating, exposed beams and original brickwork.
Located within a short walk to UTS, Broadway, and Newtown cafes and restaurants and the CBD.
The Pigeon Shed at 42-44 Pine St, Chippendale, interest campaign with Shannan Whitney of BresicWhitney.
Two coming 2027 models – the first of the “Neue Klasse” cars coming to the U.S. early next year – have been revealed.
A&K Sanctuary unveils Kitirua Plains Lodge, a sustainability-focused luxury property shaped by landscape, local craft and contemporary safari architecture.
A landmark Sandy Bay estate with deep history, riverfront position and resort-style grounds returns to market with record-breaking ambitions.
2 min
Sentosa in Hobart has already spent its time in the history books, but now the historic estate in Sandy Bay is set to shine again.
The period home, which sits on a large 2300 square metres riverfront block, made headlines in 2017 when the then century-old mansion sold for a Tasmanian record of $6.5 million.
Fast forward to 2026 and the 1917 trophy home is returning to the market with $15 million expectations – a figure that could set a brand new price benchmark for the Apple Isle.
Owned by Sydney investors, Piers Dawson-Damer and his partner Kim, Sentosa has been used as a Tassie holiday home for almost a decade. The pair bought the riverside residence from locals Wendy and Barry Turnbull, who had paid $815,000 for it in 1993.
The current sale is expected to easily eclipse Hobart’s record, which stands at $8.5 million. That benchmark was set when Point Piper-based Taswegian, financier Greg Woolley, bought historic Waimea House in 2011.
Interestingly, Woolley took the keys to Waimea House – also in Sandy Bay – from the Dawson-Damers, who themselves had paid a then-record of $6.06 million.
Co-agents, Forbes Global Properties directors Tracey Atkins and Robert Fletcher, are tasked with marketing Sentosa.
“Sentosa has been set up perfectly by its interstate owners to serve as a top-tier second home, with state-of-the-art automation, technology and security now in place that allow it to be run seamlessly from anywhere in the world,” Fletcher said, adding that the unique Hobart home has been turning heads since it landed online this week
“There is no question it merits attention locally and internationally – it is a true Tasmanian trophy.”
Taking its name from the Malay word for “peace and tranquility”, Sentosa is once of the city’s most iconic properties. Even early Australian aviator Charles Kingsford-Smith reportedly visited the estate when he honeymooned in Hobart with his second wife Mary in 1931.
With 270-degree views of the Derwent River and mountain backdrop, the house on Blinking Billy Point has given its owners a front-row seat to the final sprints of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
Now fully renovated, the arts and crafts era house has been restored to its former glory.
Fletcher said the Dawson-Damers wanted to respect the home’s heritage while updating the five-bedroom house for modern living.
The result is a blend of classic craftsmanship and modern luxury, all with a strong connection to the water.
There are many restored original details, like ornate cornices, lead-light windows, fireplaces, and intricate fretwork.
The renovation has also added several modern touches, including a new central staircase, updated joinery, sleek bathrooms, and an entertainer’s kitchen. Other modern features of the Sandy Bay home include advanced home automation and CCTV security.
Living areas include both formal and casual spaces, plus there is a grand main bedroom suite, all designed to capture uninterrupted views of the river and ranges.
Outside, the estate offers resort-style amenities, including landscaped gardens by award-winning designer Paul Bangay, with European-inspired green spaces, a statement water fountain, level lawns, and sandstone terraces.
Additionally, there is a fully equipped boat shed with a slipway right on the water’s edge.
Sentosa is close to beaches, popular schools, large parks, and Hobart’s CBD.
Sentosa at 650 Sandy Bay Rd, Sandy Bay is listed with price hopes of $15 million through an expressions of interest campaign with Forbes Global Properties agents Robert Fletcher and Tracey Atkins.
From office parties to NYE fireworks, here are the bottles that deserve pride of place in the ice bucket this season.
The era of the gorgeous golden retriever is over. Today’s most coveted pooches have frightful faces bred to tug at our hearts.
