Welcome to Studio Doma

Breathing new life into old spaces.

There is something about an old building that makes me pause.

The way light falls across worn timber floors.

The craftsmanship in intricate plaster ceilings and cornices.

The quiet strength of brick walls built to last.

These places carry memory - quiet evidence of craft, care and character.

But to me, heritage should never be about freezing buildings in time. It's about understanding what a place means, and guiding change in a way that respects that significance while allowing it to evolve.

Buildings are meant to be lived in.

Adapted.

Reimagined.

Used.

Loved.

At Studio Doma, we approach heritage consulting with that balance in mind - respect for the past, and clarity about how to move forward.

Why We Created Studio Doma

We founded Studio Doma to bring clarity to the heritage process.

As a heritage consultant working across Sydney and New South Wales, I've seen how overwhelming it can feel to navigate heritage for the first time. Homeowners unsure whether they need a Statement of Heritage Impact. Architects navigating proposals within a heritage conservation area. Developers assessing risk around a heritage-listed property.

Too often, heritage advice enters the process late. By that point, designs are already developed, options feel limited, and the path forward can feel uncertain.

We believe heritage should be part of the conversation from the beginning.

When approached early, it becomes something else entirely. Heritage becomes a tool for shaping better outcomes. It can bring clarity to a project, reduce risk, and support a more thoughtful and resolved design response.

"Doma" means home.

For us, it speaks to continuity, care and belonging.

Our own family heritage is rooted in villages and towns where architecture carries memories across generations. Where streets, homes, and public spaces form part of a shared cultural identity. That personal connection shapes how we approach our work today.

We see heritage not as something separate from everyday life, but as something that continues through it - evolving carefully, and with intention.

What We Do

We are a Sydney-based heritage consultancy providing advice within the NSW planning framework.

We prepare:

• Statements of Heritage Impact (SOHI)

• Conservation Management Plans (CMP)

• Schedules of Conservation Works (SCW)

• Photographic Archival Recordings (PAR)

• Heritage advice at concept and feasibility stage

• Due diligence and pre-purchase advice for heritage sites

• Advice for development within heritage conservation areas

In simple terms, we help answer three essential questions:

1. What makes this place significant?

2. What is being proposed?

3. How can change be undertaken in a way that is thoughtful, balanced and well-supported?

Whether it’s alterations to a heritage-listed home in Sydney or an addition within a heritage conservation area, clear and well-reasoned heritage advice makes a measurable difference.

Our Approach

We do not see heritage as a barrier to development.

Traditionally, heritage advice has focused on questions of scale - how large a development can be, and how that scale is managed in relation to a heritage item or conservation area. While scale remains important, we do not see it as the only measure of a good outcome.

We approach development as something that works alongside heritage, not simply around it. This means looking more closely at how impact is reduced, how new work responds to its context, and how design can actively contribute to the ongoing story of a place.

The most considered outcomes are not defined by scale alone, but by how thoughtfully new development engages with what already exists.

Heritage places must be able to evolve. The role of good heritage advice is to guide that evolution with care.

Good heritage advice is measured. Balanced. Clear.

It understands statutory controls.

It understands feasibility.

And it understands that buildings must continue to function.

We believe good heritage outcomes sit somewhere in between. Not in preserving everything exactly exactly as it was. Not in removing what makes a place meaningful. But in understanding significance clearly, and allowing change to respond to it.

We are here to shape change - not to prevent it.

Who We Work With

We work with homeowners, architects, developers and councils across Sydney and New South Wales.

This includes:

• Homeowners preparing a Development Application

• Architects designing alterations and additions

• Developers undertaking feasibility assessments

• Councils seeking clear and balanced heritage input

From modest rear extensions to complex works affecting heritage-listed properties, we provide advice that is grounded, strategic and context-driven.

Moving Forward

Change is inevitable. The way we manage it matters.

If you are unsure whether you require a Statement of Heritage Impact, are working within a heritage conservation area, or are seeking early heritage advice, clarity at concept stage can make all the difference.

Studio Doma exists to make heritage clearer, calmer and more constructive.

Old buildings deserve care.

New ideas deserve space.

We are here to help both exist - thoughtfully.