Adam Hadley-Darrie and Paul Engelhardt have turned an ordinary townhouse into an extraordinary home through the addition of well-curated furniture and art, and plentiful pets and plants.
Home is where the dogs are
When Adam Hadley-Darrie and Paul Engelhardt were looking for their first home together, they knew they wanted to find something in the city.
Paul – a graphic designer – had been living at Glenelg, and Adam had been living and working in the city’s East End, moving between his Rundle Street apartment and DAS hair salon on Ebenezer Place.
“I’ve been living in the city pretty much since I moved to Adelaide and I just really love city living,” says Adam.
To me it’s important to be convenient to work. I always feel like Adelaide is so central that you’re close to the beach and the Hills when you’re in the city.”
Initially, the couple were looking for an older home – a miner’s cottage or similar – but they changed their minds when they came across a three-level townhouse with a rooftop located just off Halifax Street.
“And it’s the rooftop really that sold it to us,” says Paul. “We thought it was amazing and we knew we would use it all the time.”
Adam and Paul moved in as 2014 was turning into 2015, and they immediately set about transforming the plain looking house into something more reflective of their personalities.
The large white tiles on the ground floor were ripped up in favour of polished concrete, the cream walls were painted white, and the beech laminate in the living area was replaced with a parquetry floor.
Having not lived together before, both Adam and Paul decided to get rid of most of their existing furniture and acquire new pieces that would suit their home and their life together. Among the many industrial, mid-century modern, and more colourful pieces, there are a couple of favourites.
“I really love our sofa,” says Paul. “And that was one of the first things we bought. It came from St Morris Classic.”
“And I really love your grandfather’s chest of drawers,” adds Adam. “They’re in the dining room. Paul’s grandfather was a mechanic in Glenelg, he had a prominent mechanic business down there – and that came out of his workshop.”
“It still has things written on it like spark plugs and brake pads and all that,” says Paul.
But by far the most important additions to the house are the couple’s plants and pets. Archie – a Jack Russell Pug cross that Paul has owned since he was a puppy – has recently been joined by a new addition – a rescue Greyhound known as Aggie.
While Archie, Aggie, Fernando the bird, and the multitudinous plants that fill the home’s rooms are important in their own right, Archie’s presence in the home also helped Adam and Paul start their own business.
Adam and Paul’s business – Archie & Co – is located at 48/81 Carrington Street, Adelaide.
It was on a walk with Archie that the couple came across the Carrington Street location that now houses Archie & Co – a hair salon and café that Adam and Paul operate together.
And while this quiet residential part of the city is not particularly popular with entrepreneurs, Adam and Paul have had great success with Archie & Co and expect they’ll see a few more local businesses opening in the near future.
“I think people are afraid to take the risk, but every time someone does it really pays off,” says Adam.
“It will be interesting to see what happens when the Kodo apartment building is finished on Angas Street, and then Echelon on the corner of Carrington and King William – you have the two Hurtle and Cos in Hurtle Square,” says Paul.
“I think that sort of influx of people into this area will make it easier and people will maybe want to open more things here.”
For now though, Adam and Paul are setting an early example of just how well this part of the city can work – both as a place of business and a home.
LIVING SMALL
Having two dogs in a city home with no yard might seem challenging, but Adam and Paul have found plenty of ways to keep Archie and Aggie happy.
The dogs will visit the couple’s business about once a day – sitting out front to greet customers as they arrive, and they also have some favourite parks where they can burn off energy.
“We actually really love the Rose Gardens on South Terrace. It’s good because it’s protected,” says Adam.
“I’ve heard they’re actually going to be putting a dog park in the city – just near Marshmallow Park,” says Paul.
“I’m glad someone is making it happen. If you’re going to have that many people living on this side of the city, I think those kind of services are really important.”