Chamfered surfaces, warm hues and reinstated art deco features define the interiors of The Gentleman, a Sydney apartment remodelled by local interiors studio YSG.

YSG carried out a complete renovation of the 95-square-meter, high-ceilinged apartment in a 1929 art deco building in the trendy suburb of Redfern, which has views of the Sydney Opera House.

YSG dubbed the residence The Gentleman, as a nod to the clients' personality and the sophistication that it aimed to echo in the interior design.

"Designed for two super lovely men, the home essentially personifies many of their combined attributes, becoming in a sense the third 'gentleman' in the equation," YSG director Yasmine Ghoniem told Dezeen.

"I wanted the home to reflect their genuine warmth, scholarly sophistication – in a charming, worldly way, plus musical appreciation – they're especially classical fans including Rachmaninov and Bach," Ghoniem continued.

"We stripped all the random owner interventions made over the years – especially clunky inbuilt joinery and bulkheads concealing downlights – to streamline clarity and accent original [art] deco codes and finishes."

The rooms are arranged in a linear configuration, with the main entrance and dining space at the centre flanked by two bedrooms on one side and a bathroom, kitchen and living room on the other.

YSG aim to make the apartment feel more spacious with taller entryways for the clients, a couple who are both over two meters tall. The nearly-century-old art deco architraves and doors were temporarily removed to raise the height of the entryways for the clients.

"Raising the door heights was more a plea than a request given both the clients are so tall!" Ghoniem commented.

The original architraves were preserved and reinstated by inserting thick Australian Red Cedar skirtings at the base to increase their height.

Matching timber pieces were fixed at the bottom of the door shutters to fit the new dimensions.

The art deco style was highlighted by chamfered surfaces strewn across the house, paired with geometric motifs evoking Balkan cilim textiles – a nod to one of the clients' Bosnian/Croatian heritage.

An oblique wall created by YSG to accommodate a laundry room within the bathroom projects out into the corridor and dining room. This form is continued in a timber banquette that hugs the wall, combined with an "angled halo" light hanging over the dining table.

"Inspired by our clients' admiration for Vermeer's mastery of light and shade in his paintings, we specified a lead white shade to tonally expand and unify the apartment's walls," Ghoniem explained.

Art deco-style stepped cornices and skirtings line the walls of the house, including in the living room where YSG covered the walls with a rich yellow ochre shade.

Amber sconces echoing the tinted panels of the original front door are dotted across the residence, complemented with ochre yellow, chocolate brown and toffee textures and upholstery.

The galley kitchen is covered with stainless steel surfaces, paired with a bold, monolithic Lauriana quartzite chimney hood and splashback.

Stainless steel accents are continued across the house in combination with American Oak surfaces.

In the bathroom, YSG installed a monolithic vanity with a sloped face. Amber glass was also used here in the window panels, lending the space a sepia hue.

"Despite the apartment's intimate scale, each room possesses a special moment that somehow emboldens it which is something we were conscious of achieving at concept stage – from the kitchen's boldly patterned stone to the futuristic angled dining banquette," said Ghoniem.

Recent projects by YSG include a holiday home with a "welcome to the funhouse" feel and a Sydney cafe with 1970s-style elements.

The photography is by Anson Smart.