Weeties Warehouse by spaceagency

SPOTLIGHT

/ AIA (WA Chapter) Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) 2023
/ AIA (WA Chapter) Award for Interior Architecture 2023
/ Designed by spaceagency
/ Built by Assemble Building Co. and completed in 2022
/ Landscaping by Dangar Barin Smith
/ Combination of three apartments to create one sprawling 493 sqm residence
/ Sculptural steel spiral staircase connecting all levels
/ Magnesium heated and tiled pool plus outdoor shower
/ Sliding full-height glass doors to downstairs living and outdoor spaces
/ Secure gated entry and intercom
/ Electric gate to secure parking with 6 car bays (including a 3 car garage)
/ Ducted reverse-cycle air-conditioning with separate zones throughout
/ Big Ass Fans ceiling fans
/ Scullery with additional double sink and storage with dual integrated Siemens dishwashers
/ Wolf freestanding Dual Fuel Oven/Stove with infrared chargrill and Teppanyaki stations, with an auxiliary wall mounted tap above
/ Zip Hydrotap G5 instant hot/cold water
/ Brodware Minim tapware to main kitchen sink
/ Sub-Zero integrated fridge and freezer
/ Whispair rangehood
/ Custom designed 8m long French-Oak table to ground floor for 22 people
/ Louvered windows across all levels capture the coastal breeze and crossflow ventilation
/ Polished concrete floors with underfloor heating to kitchen and living room
/ Downstairs powder room with feature backlighting and Brodware Yokato knurled tapware
/ Main bathroom with cayenne terrazzo finish, operable skylight and Laufen Sonar basin and bathtub
/ Master ensuite with marble and timber floors, Laufen Sonar basin and bathtub, Brodware tapware and Tylo steam shower with tiled sculpted seats
/ Reclaimed Jarrah floorboards from the Fremantle Woolstores to master bedroom
/ Custom cantilevered desk and guest bedhead by Remington Matters
/ Dawn Curtain from Kvadrat to guest bedroom
/ In-built headboard with LED reading lights and Buster + Punch switches to main bedroom
/ Vixel mosaic wall tiles from Artedomus, Terrazzo tile from Fibonacci Stone, Mosaic tiles from Bisazza
/ Carpet by Tretford from Gibbon Group
/ Linear pendant by Modular Lighting, ‘Howl’ Melted Brass floor and wall lights by Michael Anastassiades, Muse wall light by Tooy
/ External wall light by Piero Lissoni for Flos
/ Built-in speakers to ground floor
/ Coveted North Fremantle location, walking distance to Old Bridge Cellars, Mojos Bar, Mrs Brown Bar and Ooh Coffee

Following a 1990s conversion that divided the vast industrial building into separate apartments, spaceagency undertook the ambitious consolidation of three properties into one extraordinary residence — restoring scale, continuity and architectural intent within the historic envelope.

Approaching the warehouse, its robust brick façade — a testament to Fremantle’s gritty port-town narrative — gives way to a vast, light-filled interior that defies its industrial beginnings. In response to a brief to create a highly liveable family home — with meaningful outdoor space – the architects have artfully liberated the plan from its compartmentalised past, introducing glazed and opalescent walls that detach from the original brick, drawing daylight deep into the heart of the home.

At the core of this spatial transformation is a sculptural steel spiral staircase — a dynamic vertical thread that anchors the voluminous living space. More than mere circulation, it rises like a piece of inhabitable art, orchestrating movement through the generous double-height living room, mezzanine, and private quarters above.

On the ground floor, the kitchen, pantry, laundry and powder room are consolidated within a singular linear volume — a considered architectural insertion that forms a quiet backdrop to the expansive dining and living domain. Here, the reinstated five-metre-high factory ceilings reveal the full drama of the original warehouse proportions, while expansive polished concrete floors and exposed steel structures ground the space in its honest industrial character. Bespoke elements, including a substantial timber dining island capable of hosting twenty-two guests, reinforce that this is architecture shaped not only by form, but by the rituals of living and gathering.

Living spaces extend effortlessly into a central indoor courtyard, where considered landscaping by Dangar Barin Smith and a corrugated mesh roof draw abundant greenery and natural light deep into the plan, gently softening the industrial envelope. This conservatory-like garden becomes the home’s unexpected heart — framing a circular mineralised swimming pool and creating a lush counterpoint to the warehouse’s robust materiality.

Above, the mezzanine floats from the original steel structure, forming the home’s first private retreat within the restored warehouse volume. This upper level incorporates a media lounge, integrated study and a bedroom suite complete with a luxurious mosaic-tiled bathroom. Stage-red curtains envelop the mezzanine bedroom, further elevating the theatrical atmosphere of the interiors — introducing softness and drama against the raw steel and heritage brick backdrop.

On the second level, the principal suite unfolds as a private sanctuary. Its indulgent ensuite is appointed with a walk-in shower featuring an integrated steam function and a separate freestanding Laufen bath, creating a space designed for quiet retreat. Two additional bedrooms on this floor enjoy exclusive use of a dramatic main bathroom, crowned by an overhead circular skylight that draws natural light onto a sculptural freestanding bath and generous shower below. Throughout, rich marble, warm timber and layered textiles contrast against the heritage fabric.

Above the secondary bedrooms, a small loft offers a quiet moment, incorporating an original retained timber hoist structure — a tangible remnant of the building’s working past. From this elevated vantage point — and equally from the second level — original windows frame glimpses of the port beyond, reinforcing the warehouse’s enduring connection to Fremantle’s maritime landscape.

Recognised with multiple accolades at the 2023 Australian Institute of Architects (WA Chapter) Award for both Residential and Interior Architecture, Weeties Warehouse stands as a masterful dialogue between past and present — where heritage character is honoured and everyday life is elevated to the extraordinary.

Positioned in the heart of vibrant North Fremantle, Weeties Warehouse enjoys a lifestyle as layered and characterful as its architecture. Just footsteps from Old Bridge Cellars, Mojos Bar, Mrs Brown Bar and Ooh Coffee, the neighbourhood hums with an effortless mix of wine bars, live music, independent retail and long-held local institutions. Leighton Beach and the Swan River are moments away, while Fremantle’s dining and cultural scene unfolds just down the road. With easy access to Cottesloe’s coastline and the Claremont shopping precinct, this is a location that balances coastal ease with urban sophistication.

RATES
Council $5,415.18 pa
Water $2,554.80 pa
Strata $6,434.95 pqtr