Set in the verdant, eastern suburbs of Sydney, Treetops House is a careful balance of crisp concrete and soft lines. The creation of local architecture studio Tobias Partners, headed by Nick Tobias, the home, located in Woollahra, is carefully positioned in a street-facing plot, which, wrapped in foliage, does not reveal much of what's going on behind its verdant front. Here, minimalist architecture meets green nature, and unexpected, sweeping curves offer drama to the everyday.
Treetops House: a curated experience
Treetops House was commissioned as a new home for a retired couple – and is set in Sydney’s traditional Gadigal lands. Curating the space around geometric forms and green views, the architects put an experiential element at the heart of their design.
As the new home was conceived as a downsize from the client's previous residence, it was important it kept to a modest scale – yet still allow for the display of the owners' 'most treasured objects from a lifetime of travels and memorable occasions, including artwork, artefacts, objects, furniture and family mementoes'.
Crafted among relatively tightly packed adjacent properties and set below street level, as the site accommodates a sharp fall, the project was designed as a two-level, two-pavilion structure in order to break down the overall volume of the house and blend it more effortlessly into the leafy garden.
As a result, it remains largely hidden and discreet – as there are few external viewpoints where one can take in the entire structure at a single glance.
The upper levels contain the public spaces – importantly the living room, which features a glass expanse that frames the tree canopy beyond. Next to it, a kitchen, accented by a deep blue wall and a curved, timber ceiling, adds to this level's dynamism.
The home's private areas, including bedrooms (for the owners and guests), a library, and an artist's studio are arranged around a central courtyard on the lower level.
Treetops House makes the most of its site's challenges and serene landscape, creating a contemporary home that feels elegant and sharp – but at the same time thrives in the playfulness and softness gained through clever features, textures, shapes and the omnipresence of nature.
-
Tour Cano House, a Los Angeles home like no other, full of colour and quirkCano House is a case study for tranquil city living, cantilevering cleverly over a steep site in LA’s Mount Washington and fusing California modernism with contemporary flair
-
At Dubai Watch Week, brands unveil the last new releases of the yearBrands including Chopard, Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef & Arpels present new watches at Dubai Watch Week
-
Wes Anderson at the Design Museum celebrates an obsessive attention to detail‘Wes Anderson: The Archives’ pays tribute to the American film director’s career – expect props and puppets aplenty in this comprehensive London retrospective
-
Neometro is the Australian developer creating homes its founders ‘would be happy living in’The company has spent 40 years challenging industry norms, building design-focused apartment buildings and townhouses; a new book shares its stories and lessons learned
-
The Melbourne studio rewilding cities through digital-driven landscape design‘There's a lack of control that we welcome as designers,’ say Melbourne-based landscape architects Emergent Studios
-
A Republic Tower apartment refresh breathes new life to a Melbourne classicLocal studio Multiplicity's refresh signals a new turn for an iconic Melbourne landmark
-
A Japanese maple adds quaint charm to a crisp, white house in SydneyBellevue Hill, a white house by Mathieson Architects, is a calm retreat layered with minimalism and sophistication
-
A redesigned warehouse complex taps into nostalgia in QueenslandA warehouse in Queensland has been transformed from neglected industrial sheds to a vibrant community hub by architect Jared Webb, drawing on the typology's nostalgic feel
-
Australian bathhouse ‘About Time’ bridges softness and brutalism‘About Time’, an Australian bathhouse designed by Goss Studio, balances brutalist architecture and the softness of natural patina in a Japanese-inspired wellness hub
-
The humble glass block shines brightly again in this Melbourne apartment buildingThanks to its striking glass block panels, Splinter Society’s Newburgh Light House in Melbourne turns into a beacon of light at night
-
A contemporary retreat hiding in plain sight in SydneyThis contemporary retreat is set behind an unassuming neo-Georgian façade in the heart of Sydney’s Woollahra Village; a serene home designed by Australian practice Tobias Partners
