The Medusa

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Striking architect-designed townhouse in the midst of trendy Darlinghurst, well placed for the city sights and the vibrant Eastern Suburbs

Likened to New York's Soho, Darlinghurst is Sydney's most fashionable urban village. Colonial terraces vie with art deco mansions, restaurant openings with designer homeware shopping. The vibe is hip, streetwise and bohemian, and the cappuccino strip is the place to be seen.

The Medusa embodies this creative, fun spirit to a T. It's a Victorian townhouse given a quirky and daring refit by architect Scott Weston, and the first thing you'll notice are the bold colours. The exterior is shocking scarlet, the hallway has baby-pink anaglypta walls with plaster angels, its carpet is pillarbox red. 17 bedrooms have waxed walls in bold primaries, while the Miami-style courtyard is in tranquil lavender and primrose. Furnishings are no less outlandish: custom-made chaise-longues and 'capsule' kitchenettes in the rooms, a vast paper chandelier in the hall, Medusa motifs throughout. This is an ultra-stylish home in Australia's most vibrant quarter, and just 10 minutes by taxi from the city centre.