You would never know to look at it now, but this Luxury Duplex in Wickham NSW was once a warehouse building. Formerly the Orton Building HQ, the site is now the postal address of two luxury family homes.

Husband and wife duo Justine and Luke Orton decided to take on the challenge of transforming the site into not one, but two modern abodes fit for contemporary family living.

The facade leaves no trace of the warehouse that once was, with a striking combination of textured cladding, battening and a luscious rooftop garden.

While structurally the homes are identical, internally the material palette creates individuality. While one home showcases a soft contrast of timber and white — creating an urban coastal look, the other has a more luxe appeal, featuring darker joinery and richly textured stone.

From the early days of planning Orton 2.0 Luke and Justine knew they wanted to include the Escea DF960 Gas Fireplace.

No strangers to a challenge, they originally engaged Escea when they were building their first home, Orton Haus 1.0. Fast foward four years later, they’re still using the Escea DF Series in their projects.

“The hero is without a doubt the Escea fireplace,” Justine says. “This is our go-to — we chose the gas model because it's super easy to install.”