From Thurlow Lane

Thurlow Studio began in 2014 in Thurlow Lane, Redfern. Rather than naming the practice after ourselves, we chose a name the way you might a café, after the street where it all started.

For the first seven years, Thurlow Studio was a side project. We helped friends, family, and neighbours with renovations and extensions, and supported members of The School of Renovating (founded by David’s mother, Bernadette Janson) with their projects. Those early years gave us two things: a deep respect for working with existing buildings, and a collaborative way of working with clients that still defines us today.

Spending that time on small projects taught us the essentials. We learned how to deliver high-quality work cost-effectively, and how to navigate the unknowns that always come with older buildings. From this work grew Renovator Concepts, our design service for budget-conscious renovators and first-home buyers, which still runs alongside our core practice today.

Now, with more than a decade of experience in alterations and additions, we remain driven by the same ethos. We want to create enduring, high-quality homes without “knock down and rebuild” being the default. Not all existing buildings are worth retaining, but our process, from design through to documentation, is built around reuse wherever it is practical to do so. This philosophy leads to more sustainable outcomes, and more interesting architecture.