Houzz Tour: A Strong, Contemporary and Sophisticated Sydney Home
Warm gold tones and soft furnishings balance bold architecture and a ‘monumental’ kitchen island chiseled out of granite
This new build for a family that relocated from Melbourne, Australia, to Sydney makes the most of the city’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle and celebrated harbor views. It was a collaboration of South Africa-based SAOTA, which designed the house; Sydney-based Tanner Kibble Denton Architects, which contributed local expertise; and Alexandra Kidd Design, which furnished it. Strong, contemporary and sophisticated, the home provides vast spaces for entertaining guests and intimate areas for the family to gather.
The light-filled, double-height entry frames views of the harbor and hints at what’s in store in the rest of the house.
Water features on the middle and lower levels enhance the sense of connection to the harbor. There is a pool in the rear garden, and the middle floor has a shallow water feature that wraps around the exterior space, “creating a natural edge to the spacious main terrace,” Ratcliffe says.
Water features on the middle and lower levels enhance the sense of connection to the harbor. There is a pool in the rear garden, and the middle floor has a shallow water feature that wraps around the exterior space, “creating a natural edge to the spacious main terrace,” Ratcliffe says.
At the top of the house, the bedrooms, bathrooms and a study are spread across the entrance level.
When the homeowners aren’t using their master bedroom, the cat tends to claim it. Behind the bed is the couple’s luxurious en suite.
To navigate the larger architectural spaces and create more intimate and comfortable rooms, interior designer Alexandra Kidd used smaller-scale furniture and layers of texture, including soft curtains against solid granite slabs, leather and linen upholstery, and silk rugs underfoot.
“Striking the perfect balance between strong architecture and softer, warmer finishes influenced everything from bathroom fittings to [cabinetry] details to soft furnishings,” Kidd says.
“Striking the perfect balance between strong architecture and softer, warmer finishes influenced everything from bathroom fittings to [cabinetry] details to soft furnishings,” Kidd says.
In the master bathroom, glass panels on both sides of the vanity offer views into the bedroom, where wood brings warmth and picks up on the golden tones. The double sinks and the feature stone on the back wall are marble.
Vanity: SAOTA and Tanner Kibble Denton Architects
Vanity: SAOTA and Tanner Kibble Denton Architects
The neutral design palette relied on textures and finishes, rather than colors, for warmth and personality. The aesthetic carries through to the kids’ bedrooms.
Concrete, marble and skillful craftsmanship continue throughout the house, including in all six bathrooms. This long and narrow vanity counter is made of marble.
Vanity: SAOTA and Tanner Kibble Denton Architects; Prometheus III wall light: Christopher Boots
Vanity: SAOTA and Tanner Kibble Denton Architects; Prometheus III wall light: Christopher Boots
Formal and informal living and dining areas are on the middle level, where the family has wide views of the harbor.
SAOTA and Tanner Kibble Denton Architects designed the hand-cut gray granite island, which exemplifies the exacting craftsmanship evident throughout the house. The rough character of the granite contrasts with the sleek cabinetry and the smooth floor, and adds warmth through texture rather than color. “The idea was to have an island … that was a match for its surroundings. By chiseling [it] out from a big boulder, we added an organic element that was a perfect contrast to the strong angular material palette,” Ratcliffe says.
Because of its size and weight, the island had to be brought in by crane in two pieces after the living room floor slab was poured and before the upstairs bedroom floor slab was poured. The island is hollowed in one side to accommodate dishwashers, cabinets and drawers. “This element required immaculate coordination between the architects, builders, stone masons, joiners, plumbers and electricians. It was monumental,” Ratcliffe adds.
Because of its size and weight, the island had to be brought in by crane in two pieces after the living room floor slab was poured and before the upstairs bedroom floor slab was poured. The island is hollowed in one side to accommodate dishwashers, cabinets and drawers. “This element required immaculate coordination between the architects, builders, stone masons, joiners, plumbers and electricians. It was monumental,” Ratcliffe adds.
SAOTA and Tanner Kibble Denton Architects also designed the kitchen cabinetry. Thanks to its dark color, it recedes into the background, allowing the island to come to the fore. A glass backsplash offers views of a secluded garden with an exposed rock feature. “The harbor views to the east and garden views to the west lend a sense that one is surrounded by natural elements,” Ratcliffe says.
Outside, a concrete table provides for outdoor dining. Inside, a built-in bench abuts a concrete half-wall separating the kitchen from the stairs descending to the level below.
Custom dining table: Alexandra Kidd Design; Kekke dining chairs: Piet Boon
Outside, a concrete table provides for outdoor dining. Inside, a built-in bench abuts a concrete half-wall separating the kitchen from the stairs descending to the level below.
Custom dining table: Alexandra Kidd Design; Kekke dining chairs: Piet Boon
The challenge of such large architectural spaces is finding furniture that can hold its own. In response, Kidd designed many of the key pieces, including both the formal and informal dining tables.
Kidd says that one of the clients’ main stipulations was to find the perfect place for the Christopher Boots Phasmida pendant light. It now hangs over the formal dining table, where its branching form can be viewed from many angles: from the dining table below, from across the living area, and from above as people enter the home.
Ginger dining chairs: Poltrona Frau
Kidd says that one of the clients’ main stipulations was to find the perfect place for the Christopher Boots Phasmida pendant light. It now hangs over the formal dining table, where its branching form can be viewed from many angles: from the dining table below, from across the living area, and from above as people enter the home.
Ginger dining chairs: Poltrona Frau
The formal dining area is adjacent to the living area. Here a wall of wood cabinetry brings warmth to the stone and concrete while defining the space that sits under the double-height atrium above.
Furnishings and finishes visually soften the concrete by adding layers of texture and tactility. “We played with the contrasts of raw architectural elements and luxurious finishes, juxtaposing concrete and brass, timber and stone, leather and linen, ever-increasing our client’s emotional response to the spaces,” Kidd says.
Furnishings and finishes visually soften the concrete by adding layers of texture and tactility. “We played with the contrasts of raw architectural elements and luxurious finishes, juxtaposing concrete and brass, timber and stone, leather and linen, ever-increasing our client’s emotional response to the spaces,” Kidd says.
These living and dining spaces open to the north and east for panoramic views across the harbor.
Throughout the house, concrete walls transition between inside and outside and between horizontal and vertical surfaces. They serve as a backdrop to the impressive volumes, views, furniture and jewel-toned color palette. “Its subtle tone offers strength to architectural forms while providing a tactile backdrop to objects and artwork in both formal and informal spaces,” Ratcliffe says.
Flamed granite tile flooring also maintains this relationship of materials between inside and outside, and creates a sense of seamlessness. Large-format tiles have bullnose edges for a softer, more domestic feel.
Sculpture on balcony: Camie Lyons
Throughout the house, concrete walls transition between inside and outside and between horizontal and vertical surfaces. They serve as a backdrop to the impressive volumes, views, furniture and jewel-toned color palette. “Its subtle tone offers strength to architectural forms while providing a tactile backdrop to objects and artwork in both formal and informal spaces,” Ratcliffe says.
Flamed granite tile flooring also maintains this relationship of materials between inside and outside, and creates a sense of seamlessness. Large-format tiles have bullnose edges for a softer, more domestic feel.
Sculpture on balcony: Camie Lyons
The goal, Kidd says, was to soften the interiors of the strong concrete structure “by adding warmth to a family home that was to be nurturing and casual with sophisticated undertones, but not pretentious or intimidating. The masculine personality of the architecture called for this tension in the interiors, which gives it a feminine voice, allowing it to stand proudly beside — not above or beneath — the architecture.”
In the formal living area, the furniture appears to almost levitate above the floor, and shots of electric blue and gold add glamour while complementing the ocean vista.
Wing sofa and Magi ottoman: Flexform; Bell side table: ClassiCon; vintage barrel chairs: Milo Baughman
In the formal living area, the furniture appears to almost levitate above the floor, and shots of electric blue and gold add glamour while complementing the ocean vista.
Wing sofa and Magi ottoman: Flexform; Bell side table: ClassiCon; vintage barrel chairs: Milo Baughman
At the lowest level of the home are a rumpus room and a guest bedroom, as well as a pool that looks out over the harbor.
“[This house] freely and confidently explores tactility. Guests are encouraged to remove their shoes and consciously press their bare feet into the natural stone foundation beneath them, and to run their hands across the mixed surfaces to truly feel the story of the finishes and furnishings, at once intimately connecting to the otherwise vast spaces around them,” Kidd says.
A considered and restrained use of color also serves as a neutral palette for the more intense jewel tones of the blue and gold that are evocative of Sydney’s coastal landscape.
From the waterside, the facade is bold and sculptural, with large concrete overhangs and canopies. The layering of floors and rooms responds to the steep slope and panoramic views of North Head, Middle Head and Balmoral Bay while bringing generous amounts of natural light into the interior spaces.
Nearly all exterior walls are clad in a white sandstone that has minimal variation and veining throughout. “A very detailed ‘random’ pattern of varying lengths creates the interest in the walls and enhances the textural feel of the house,” Ratcliffe says.
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Who lives here: A couple, their two children and the family cat
Location: Mosman area of Sydney
Size: Five bedrooms, six bathrooms
Designers: Tanner Kibble Denton Architects and SAOTA (architecture) and Alexandra Kidd Design (interior design)
The homeowners acquired a vacant site on a steep hill on Sydney’s Lower North Shore. With a three-story drop, the house is recessed into the hillside with the main living areas below street level for privacy. This approach allowed the house to appear somewhat modest from the front and dramatic from the rear.
“From the street side, the tone and style is understated. Guests enter through a wooden entrance door and over a bridge that crosses the garden below,” says Renata Ratcliffe, project architect at Tanner Kibble Denton Architects.