Chippendale Warehouse Transformed into Architectural Masterpiece

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.