Tag Archives: Sydney

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Architecture: A Cliffside Home Tour In Sydney

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The Local Project (February 9, 2024) – Grounded in simplicity, GB House’s proximity to Sydney’s Gordons Bay and the nearby precipitous cliffs means the surrounding nature is celebrated as an interior design feature.

00:00 – Introduction to the Cliffside Home 00:55 – An Exciting and Historical Brief 02:13 – The Layout and Walkthrough of the Home 04:28 – Key Materials and Special Aspects 05:21 – Incorporating the Rich Natural World 06:53 – Favourite Aspects

Inside a cliffside home, Renato D’Ettorre Architects creates a minimalist beach house with a strong sensorial and emotional experience through materials and spatial composition. The initial brief focused on bringing this bay inside the architecture of the home and creating an open family home with almost no walls, so you could glimpse the water and cliff faces at every turn. “It is the outside that we wanted to create the magic, not what we’re doing inside – the inside is a frame almost, to frame the view,” says Renato D’Ettorre, lead architect for GB House.

“The entry sequence is one of my favourite parts of the house,” says Renato. The path is deliberately placed to the south to make the entry elongated so that one is encouraged to slow down. “It is a sensorial experience – you can see the end of the pathway, the horizon, but before you get there, you have to navigate this pathway where you have a watercourse and perforated red terracotta breeze blocks on either side of you, before arriving at the front door,” says Renato. The perforations brighten inside a cliffside home with patterns of light, moderate the summer sunlight and enable airflow. In this way, lighting works in harmony alongside the materiality of the dream home.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos

Australian Architecture: ‘Lee House’ Tour In Sydney

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The Local Project (January 19, 2024) – A beautiful dance of soft curves and geometric lines, Lee House is a study in balance and restraint where the architect redesigns a 200 year old home. Angelo Candalepas, director of Candalepas Associates and the architect of Lee House, assumes a very conceptual approach to architecture – evident in the house he has crafted.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the 200 Year Old Home 01:02 – The Original Concept 02:13 – Seeking Perfection Through Form 03:00 – Behind The Material Palette 04:30 – The Relationship Between Builder and Architect 05:26 – Experiencing the Intimacy of the Home 06:50 – Favourite Aspects

“What we have tried to do is seek aspects of perfection in form that enable us to encourage something in the human condition which isn’t able to be seen, but is perhaps only able to be felt,” reflects Angelo. Here, the architect redesigns a 200 year old home in Sydney’s Watsons Bay. The front façade appears as a humble, one-storey traditional cottage that sits in contrast to the two-storey, modern, geometric façade at the rear. The way the architect redesigns a 200 year old home was a step away from the client’s original brief – removing the existing cottage and creating a large home.

After many discussions, the client developed a modesty about their brief. “It meant we could work with an incredibly quiet house… something that is purely an interior design,” says Angelo. The architect redesigns a 200 year old home with a material palette that is simultaneously robust, raw and refined. Timber flooring and ceilings make the space feel spacious yet cosy and is also used in the kitchen for joinery, the dining table and the base of the island bench. This is complemented by the heavy use of concrete for walls, stairs and detailing, softened by round curves. Styling is dominated by minimalist furniture and neutral tones.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Architecture: A Modern Garden Home In Sydney

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The Local Project (October 10, 2023) – Inspired by the nearby waterways and bushland, Downie North creates a garden home that not only exists in conversation with the surrounding landscape but also provides a sense of retreat.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Garden Home 01:15 – The Layout and Walkthrough of the Home 03:02 – Landscaping Features 03:28 – Utilising Concrete Throughout 03:54 – Raw and Primal Materials 04:56 – Control of The Light 05:24 – Rewarding Aspects of the Design

Defined by a gradual reveal of interior spaces, Castlecrag Courtyard eloquently encapsulates slow living. Located on the ridge of Castlecrag, a harbourside suburb just north of Sydney’s CBD, Castlecrag Courtyard features a northerly aspect and a sloping site to the south. As such, the challenge of this project was about maximising sunlight and privacy whilst opening up to the 180-degree city and harbour views.

The garden home features a north-facing courtyard, which allows natural light to enter the interior living spaces whilst creating private external areas. The house tour reveals an architectural layout that encourages circular movement, meaning one is always met with changing views. The home is made up of three levels, and, upon arrival, one is met with a bush path before entering the ground floor, which contains the main living and kitchen areas.

#GardenHome #Nature #TheLocalProject

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Brazilian Design: M House In Avalon Beach, Sydney

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The Local Project (September 19, 2023) – An inspired super house leveraging its unique site nestled between the calm waters of Pittwater, the surf beach of Avalon and bushland in Clareville on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, M House envelopes the landscape in its very structure in an alluring and profound way.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Brazilian Inspired Super House 00:56 – Behind the Modernist Idea of Form Follows Function 01:26 – The Beachside Location 01:47 – Brazilian Modernist Inspiration 02:14 – A Walkthrough of the Home 04:24 – An Emphasis on Privacy 05:11 – The Rich Green Landscaping 05:30 – Connecting the Masculine and Feminine Materials

Rama Architects creates a home that viscerally connects inhabitants to the surrounding landscape while maintaining a sense of privacy and tranquillity. Grounded in the idea that form follows function, this inspired super house is functional first, then focuses on layout and flow. As such, Rama Architects responded to the client’s brief to create a Brazilian modernist-style home. This style is based on creating a sense of transparency and connection to surrounding waterways while maintaining a feeling of sanctuary.

With a tangible indoor-outdoor connection, there is an immediate sense of tranquillity as the plantings engulf the architecture of the home’s structure. Upon entering the inspired super house, one is greeted with a courtyard that welcomes filtered light through the above tree canopy. The home is delineated by floor-to-ceiling glass doors and leans heavily into subtropical design principles and Brazilian modernist philosophies surrounding the prioritisation of natural light and ventilation. Plants cascade down from the rooftop and are visible from every room, once again reiterating an appreciation of the beachside locale.

Similarly, the main living area releases with ease to the water and western horizon beyond, while a sunken lounge is incorporated to align with the Brazilian modernist typology of the inspired super house and ensures no couches or furniture distract from the view. The M House is grounded in a connection between masculine and feminine materials, which creates a juxtaposition of feeling safe but also vulnerable within the home. For example, privacy is created through the dominant brutal front façade and greenery engulfing the building.

#SuperHouse #Architect #TheLocalProject

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Landscape Design: Tour Of Boulder House In Sydney

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The Local Project (September 5, 2023) – In Sydney’s Watsons Bay area, Creative Director at Wyer & Co. Anthony Wyer designs the landscape architects own family home.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Landscape Architects Family Home 00:45 – A Coastal Location 01:11 – A Walkthrough of the House 01:59 – The Fundamental Features 02:43 – Behind the Interior Design of the Home 03:30 – Weathering All Seasons and All Conditions 04:20 – The Plant Palette 05:00 – A Mediterranean Inspired Design

“When designing a garden, I believe it comes down to balance – balance of hard surfaces, soft surfaces, understanding the natural environment and the plant palette,” says Anthony of his approach to the house, which sits on a corner allotment.

On arrival, one is immediately met with a beautiful mature olive that overhangs the entrance, setting the scene for a home that clearly interacts with its garden and foliage. The interior design of the landscape architects own family home was designed with the help of interior designers Marco Meneguzzi and Tamsin Johnson, who saw the vision for the interior spaces align with the vision for the garden. It is the garden of the landscape architects own family home that is most impressive.

Anthony takes cues from both local and Mediterranean architecture and sensibilities to create an immersive outdoor retreat. One of the main features was the boulder in the rear garden – an impressive natural element central to the whole design. Other key features include a cabana structure covered in greenery, with its own planted roof, a fireplace, an open pergola that is waterproofed and a pool.

Whilst there is an expression of style, at the core of the garden is pragmatism and comfort, ensuring the outdoors can be enjoyed without needing to withstand the elements. The front, multi-tiered garden of the landscape architects own family home is elevated, faces the street and acts as an extension of the interior entertaining space. A plant palette of mature trees is used to create vibrancy and scale, which is combined with hedging and underplanting to imbue the home with softness.

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Australian Modernism: A ‘Wabi-Sabi’ Tiny Apartment

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The Local Project (August 15, 2023) – Brad Swartz Architects has become an expert in blending small spaces with wabi-sabi aesthetics and Australian modernism.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Wabi-Sabi Tiny Apartment 00:52 – The Location of the Apartment 01:16 – A Walkthrough of the Wabi-Sabi Apartment 02:20 – Behind the Renovation 03:09 – The Clients Brief and the Japanese Inspiration 03:48 – Uncovering Unexpected Gems 04:14 – Playful Aspects of the Apartment 04:30 – The Paired Back Material Palette

This focus has been continued in Elizabeth Bay, with this tiny apartment taking inspiration from the client’s cultured past and the architecture of a historical Sydney building that resembles an ocean liner. ‘Kyabin’ is the Japanese spelling of ‘cabin’, a likeness which reveals itself when looking at the client’s brief to convert an 80-square-metre, two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment into a one-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a single guest space.

The living space is also made to be more spacious and opens up to the view of Rushcutters Bay. Form over function was a defining principle of the modernist design philosophy that informed the interiors and overall style of the tiny apartment. Discovering the entire building was built with precast concrete beams – which had been concealed beneath ceiling sheeting for more than 60 years – also informed a refined materiality, deepening the interior design’s wabi-sabi undertones.

A pared-back material palette imbues the tiny apartment with a sense of calm, despite its small size, and a muted textural selection of stone and oak means the focus remains on the views beyond. The home’s design also has longevity in mind, allowing the next occupant to treat Kyabin Apartment as a blank canvas for personal expression.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Home Restorations: Tour Of Iririki House In Sydney

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The Local Project (August 4, 2023) – Tasked with tackling the restoration of a house, Madeline Blanchfield Architects sought to turn Iririki House – which was originally built in 1906 – into a spacious home for a family of seven. With a focus on retaining and restoring the house to its former glory, the team created big open living spaces designed for the family to connect.

Video timeline: 00:00 – History Of The Original Home 00:29 – Introduction To The Project 01:12 – The Restoration Process 01:50 – A Walk Through Of The House 02:44 – Drawing On Red Bricks 03:05 – Features Of The Kitchen and Dining Room 04:00 – Distinctions Between Flooring 04:23 – Final Reflections On The House

With close proximity to the eastern beaches and Sydney city, Iririki House is a restoration of a house that begins from the newly restored front fence and garden to the additions at the rear. Moved to the side of the home, the front door placement allows the family and guests to walk through the restored garden and pass the existing heritage house before entering into the new additions.

Focused on establishing a delineation between old and new, Madeline Blanchfield Architects integrates subtle architecture and design techniques as well as modern furniture. Through the process of restoration, Madeline Blanchfield Architects made sure that all design choices stay respectful to the home’s original character but also reflect a contemporary occupation.

Furthermore, with terrazzo used for flooring on the main level, the house offers an ease of movement from inside to out, and the timber employed throughout differs to that of the original flooring to highlight the difference between spaces.

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Design Tour: ‘Solid Air’ Apartment In Sydney

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The Local Project (July 28, 2023) – Located in Sydney’s Elizabeth Bay, Solid Air by Anna.Carin Design Studio is an interior designer’s own home that is imbued with a renewed rhythm and voice that speaks to the owner’s Scandinavian heritage.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Nordic-Inspired Apartment 00:25 – An Inner-City Suburb Location 00:48 – The Instant Connection 01:21 – A Walkthrough of the Nordic-Inspired Apartment 01:51 – The Process of Identifying a Unique Aesthetic 02:30 – The Initial Stages of the Design Process 03:20 – A Monochromatic Mood 03:33 – A Predominant Material Colour 04:26 – Repurposing and Reusing

Upon arrival, the apartment immediately stood out to the owner with its arched windows, high ceilings and window seats that complemented the home’s interior. Yet, as with all projects, Anna.Carin Design Studio worked to draw out the unique aesthetic of the apartment with architecture and furniture design.

Beginning with removing some of the walls in the apartment, Anna.Carin Design Studio delved into an array of contemporary design methods that revealed the home’s true nature. Additionally, as the inspiration of song comes into play with each project that Anna.Carin Design Studio works on, Anna-Carin chose the song Solid Air by John Martyn to influence the interior design. With the apartment tour beginning in the hallway space, Anna.Carin Design Studio has placed two main rooms on the left and two to the right.

On the left, the light-filled study allows space for work and play, whilst the master bedroom is stationed on the right side of the hall, along with the main and guest bathrooms. The primary living spaces include a kitchen, dining and living room that are all filled with a natural light from the large arched bay windows.

Through renovating the interior and architecture, Anna-Carin also considered how she wanted to feel within her own home, the emotions she wanted to evoke and, most importantly, how she wants to live there. As such, Anna-Carin McNamara sought to find three emotive words that would express the space of her apartment and decided on ‘serene’, ‘evocative’ and ‘cosmopolitan’.

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Modern Home Design: ‘Wurrungwuri’ In Sydney

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The Local Project (July 21, 2023) – Exuding the immediate feeling of joy, Wurrungwuri by Carter Williamson offers a pleasant experience from the home’s heritage façade to its modern extensions to become the best modern home in the area.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro To The Modern Home 00:43 – Interpreting The Brief 01:43 – The Collaborative Process 02:27 – A Walkthrough of the Modern Home 03:53 – The Exterior Landscape and Garden 04:25 – Responding To The Site of the Home 04:58 – Balancing Natural Lighting And Voids 05:51 – Interweaving The Old And New Addition 06:59 – Creating A Sense Of Discovery in the Home 07:36 – The Internal Heating Process 08:01 – A Personal Art Gallery 08:36 – A Rewarding Resolution

As the clients desired a modern renovation to improve Wurrungwuri’s original from, Carter Williamson added a new addition that would respond to the heritage structure and rear harbour views as well as allow the owners to showcase their artwork.

Both architect and interior designer, Carter Williamson performed the perfect collaboration between the client, architect, designer and builder, which resulted in the delivery of the best modern home. From the front door, one experiences a warm welcome as they step into the original home, with living spaces to one side and bedrooms to the other.

Moving further into the best modern home, a threshold between the old and new acts as a gallery. With a double-height void allowing for a connection to the dining room below, the void becomes an important part of the home’s interior design. In the below new additions, Carter Williamson has placed darker rooms to the left that sit under the original home, whilst light-filled spaces sit to the right. The home then leads into the main entertaining rooms and kitchen as well as the dining room that sits directly under the void that features a Tom Dixon chandelier.

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Design Tour: Waterfront Modern Home In Sydney

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The Local Project (July 18, 2023) – Nestled in a serene waterfront location just north of the Sydney CBD, Northbridge is a modern house that seamlessly integrates with the surrounding landscape and topography of its site.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Intro to the Waterfront Modern House 00:33 – The Serene Location 00:58 – A Walkthrough of the Home 01:29 – Separation by Stairs 02:08 – Key Interior Features 02:48 – The Intimacy of the Lower Level 03:31 – A Focus on the Exterior Landscape Architecture 04:13 – Considerations of Designing Waterfront Houses 05:05 – The Rewarding Aspects

Working with the challenge of a sloped, narrow block and existing elements, including a natural watercourse, rocky outcrops and mature tree ferns, became crucial to the design of the home. To work around the decline of the terrain, the modern house is made of varying levels that cascade towards the water.

Accessed via an external bridge that looks down over a courtyard, the top floor of the residence features a central staircase with a lounge room to one side and a dining and kitchen area to the other – both spaces open to an expansive balcony with breathtaking north-eastern views. The level below the entry houses the bedrooms, which dial around the central staircase – two of which face towards the views with an outlook that engages the tops of the tree ferns.

The lowest living area of the house links directly to the garden, enabling a beautiful intimacy with the landscape to enter into the modern house. In this sense, the garden and surrounding views are central to the home’s design. Structurally, the central staircase provides a sense of circulation and symmetry. From this vertical atrium, there are sweeping horizontal and vertical views through to the garden and down to the water beyond.

Behind the living room is a tranquil courtyard that offers shelter from the wind, as well as a pool that leads to another garden continuing down to the harbour. Down there the cube-shaped house can be seen from a different perspective – glimpsed through a curtilage of an enchanted garden of tree ferns, palms and curved sandstone walls.

#ModernHouse #Architecture #Sydney