A Japanese maple adds quaint charm to a crisp, white house in Sydney

A crisp, white house – a multigenerational home located on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, which encompasses what is now Sydney, Australia – offers a calm and secluded urban retreat. Mathieson Architects united two separate apartments and transformed them into a single, expansive residence, Bellevue Hill House, with cascading views across the Harbour Bridge and Rose Bay.

Inside Bellevue Hill, a crisp, white house in Sydney

‘As with many of our projects, the design for Bellevue Hill House began with a close reading of the existing conditions – both the built form and the site – and a conversation with the clients to better understand their requirements, both atmospheric and functional,’ says Phillip Mathieson, founder and design director.

‘From there, we focused on creating a home that felt calm, clear, and attuned to its elevated harbourside setting. The existing building had a fragmented architectural history, and rather than demolishing it, we retained key structural elements and reimagined the language of the house to create something contemporary and cohesive. The new form opens up to long views across Sydney while offering a series of private, inward-looking moments that support the ebb and flow of family life.’

After identifying the potential to combine two dwellings into a large three-level residence, the architecture studio had to focus on protecting the residents' privacy – an important element given the home's positioning, sandwiched on three sides by neighbouring properties. To accommodate this, Mathieson used a series of angled aluminium blades to curate sightlines, while maintaining the residence’s appealing retreat-like feel.

However, the biggest challenge was unifying the disparate elements of the original building into a cohesive whole. ‘The front façade featured remnants of a Spanish Mission style, while the rear and side elevations had been heavily altered over time. Our aim was to simplify and clarify – removing incongruous features and introducing a consistent architectural rhythm through horizontal banding, steel screening, and white rendered blade walls,’ Mathieson explains.

The home's interior has been designed for easy practicality. The ground floor acts as the main living area, featuring a chef’s kitchen at its core. Pivot doors that open up or partition off the space allow for privacy for formal entertaining or an open, connected setting for everyday living. Dining and lounge spaces take up the full width of the home.

Outside, the residence’s pool has been relined with turquoise mosaic tiles and is sheltered from the sun by an elegant Japanese maple tree, inspired by the client’s travels in Japan.

Upstairs, there is the comprehensively equipped primary suite. ‘The primary suite holds something special: it’s completely integrated – bedroom, ensuite, dressing, sauna and steam room – yet never feels closed in. It opens onto a private terrace and exemplifies the kind of seamless, flexible living the clients were looking for,’ says Mathieson.

On this level, there are additional rooms and lounges for the growing family and guests. On the rooftop is another pool, which offers impressive, long views of the cityscape and bay area.

A minimalist material palette was used throughout the home, with an emphasis on white tones and varying textures, from terrazzo floors to blackened timber veneers. This helped create a sense of cohesion for those who enter the space, as Mathieson describes: ‘The home was designed to feel both generous and grounded – spaces flow easily from one to the next, but there’s always a clear architectural framework anchoring the experience.'

'Light and materiality play a key role in shaping the atmosphere: soft plastered walls, white terrazzo flooring, and linen curtains create a sense of ease and tactility, while darker accents in stone and timber add depth. Even though the house spans four levels, it never feels overwhelming. Our goal was for it to feel calm, purposeful, and deeply livable from the moment you step inside. ‘

For Mathieson, this is truly encapsulated in the rooftop level, which stands out not only for its views but also in the way it shifts the mood of the house. ‘It’s a space for retreat and gathering, anchored by a lap pool, lounge and terrace that look out across Bellevue Hill towards the city and harbour,’ he adds. ‘It feels removed from the pace of daily life, yet it’s an integral part of the home.’

mathiesonarchitects.com