Lavender Bay house opens towards the water, overlooking Sydney harbour
Lavender Bay house by Tobias Partners is an expansive family home overlooking Sydney harbour
Tobias Partners' Lavender Bay House occupies an enviable spot on the northern shores of New South Wales. Set within a densely built context of seaside plots, the new-build residence (the home of a family of five) makes the most of its site, opening naturally towards the water as it overlooks Sydney Harbour.
Step inside the Lavender Bay house by Tobias Partners
The generous dwelling contains ample accommodation for its permanent residents while allowing for guests and entertaining. Its lofty volumes feel at once comfortable and even cosy, framed against the dramatic sea vistas and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Luna Park and Opera House views beyond.
The house's spatial arrangement is based on a mix of both 'expansive and introspective outlooks', write the architects, headed by studio founder Nick Tobias. The project was led by Tobias Partners' designer and principal Richard Peters. The site's steep slope (there is a 16m terrain drop across the plot) led to a stepped approach.
At the same time, 'a deep excavation was required to accommodate our clients’ brief and maintain view-corridors for surrounding properties', the team continues. 'From the street, the house reads as a single level, and the main entry sequence makes a feature of the Harbour Bridge’s north-western pylon.'
Inside, the interiors – also crafted by Tobias Partners – blend monumental concrete, marble and timber accents. Material consistency and a restricted colour palette unite the home's five levels.
The lower levels, which most connect with the outdoors and the property's cascading garden, house the living areas, which spread across a majestic, double-height space.
Upstairs is where the private areas are located, including a principal bedroom contained within its own level, and three more bedrooms above it.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
An extra family room on the top floor provides space for a home office and an added terrace lounge for family and guests.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
The Emory, RSHP’s first luxury hotel in London, is a rising star
New London hotel The Emory presents the perfect showcase of RSHP’s signature functionalist style and hospitality group Maybourne’s elevated luxury
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Born in Oasi Zegna: The Book’ looks back to the house’s Alpine roots
Published by Rizzoli, ‘Born in Oasi Zegna’ looks towards the Oasi Zegna natural territory in the Italian Alps, where ZEGNA opened its first wool mill in 1910 and has since fostered a thriving natural ecosystem of more than 500,000 trees
By Jack Moss Published
-
The New York art exhibitions to see now
From MoMA to the smaller spaces, here are the best New York art exhibitions to catch before they close
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Burnt Earth Beach House is an experimental retreat crafted in terracotta
The experimental Australian Burnt Earth Beach House by John Wardle breaks new ground in material composition, using baked earth for warmth, texture and tonality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Mori House is an Australian beach escape fusing international design influences
Mornington Peninsula's Mori House by architect Manuel Aires Mateus is a striking fusion of Australian, Portuguese and Japanese design influences
By Stephen Crafti Published
-
Victorian cottage transformed by radical extension into a light-filled living space
Glasshouse Projects has opened up the heart of this Victorian cottage in Adelaide, Australia, with a contemporary garden extension and pool
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Sydney’s Wharf Apartment is a heritage maritime space that evokes a coastal holiday home
Lawless & Meyerson’s Wharf Apartment is a careful, contemporary residential transformation in Sydney’s Finger Wharf that taps into the property's historic character
By Grace Bernard Published
-
Eclat rethinks 21st-century workspace with a hospitality offering in Melbourne
With new Melbourne co-working space Eclat, Australian designers Forme defy the conventional shared office model through sensitive craftsmanship and hidden high-tech
By Carli Philips Published
-
This Melbourne aquatic recreation centre’s crafted timber ceiling hints at its sustainability ambitions
The Northcote Aquatic Recreation Centre by Warren and Mahoney opens in Melbourne, blending sleek aesthetics with environmental responsibility
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Treetops House brings softness to contemporary concrete volumes in Sydney
Treetops House by Tobias Partners is an Australian home that juxtaposes crisp concrete volumes with soft curves, playful colours and lush nature
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour midcentury gem Fisher House’s 21st century facelift in Melbourne
The midcentury Fisher House by Australian designer Alistair Knox in Melbourne gets a contemporary facelift by Adriana Hanna
By Ellie Stathaki Published