Concrete-like surfaces help Australian design studio Killing Matt Woods foster a dark and brooding atmosphere inside this Sydney apartment.

The Perfect Storm apartment, named in reference to its bunker-like appearance, is designed by local studio Killing Matt Woods to be an "intimate yet utilitarian environment".

Located in the suburb of Camperdown, the 73 square-metre apartment is shared by a young couple who wanted their living quarters to boast a more minimal aesthetic.

"The clients work in design-related disciplines and sought to shed their home of unimportant accumulation, creating a space free of clutter and visual pollution," explained the studio.

With this in mind, the studio looked to brutalist architecture and local industrial warehouses to see how they could achieve a pared-back and brooding look within the home.

This muted colour and material scheme also comes as part of Woods' desire to avoid the "ubiquitous Sydney design approach", which he thinks typically lends itself to bright, seaside-style interiors.

Almost every surface in the apartment – which comprises just one open-plan room – has been hand-rendered in dark grey paint to leave a mottled finish akin to that of concrete.

The paint covers the peripheral walls, sloping ceiling, staircase balustrade, and balcony of the mezzanine level which accommodates the bedroom.

In the kitchen below, similarly grey-toned marble forms a splashback and scallop-edged breakfast island, while storage cupboards have been completed in black.

Sheer, slate-coloured curtains have also been used to diffuse natural light seeping in from the full-height glazed wall that fronts the living area.

Touches of warmth are provided by the apartment's plywood stairs and grooved American oakwood cabinetry that has been installed in the upper half of the kitchen and at the rear of the bedroom.

Fixtures like taps, wall sconces, and door handles have been crafted from gold-hued brass. A statement light comprised of two concentric glowing circles has also been installed on the ceiling.

The only space in the home where concrete has actually been applied is the bathroom, which has been finished with a graphic black-framed shower cubicle.

Killing Matt Woods joins several other studios that have opted to create restrained residential interiors.

MWAI applied grey tones to an apartment in London's Little Venice neighbourhood, while Wei Yi International Design Associates decked out a Taipei flat with cement surfaces.

Photography is by Katherine Lu.

Project credits:

Design: Killing Matt Woods
Builder: Green Anvil Co
Styling: Madeline Mcfarlane