Rose Bay House

Opening up to harbour views and sun, this Sydney house bunkers into a hilltop site, with interiors flowing out to a central courtyard and terrace.

  • The clients wanted a substantial family home, designed for large gatherings, but still with a sense of intimacy. The steep site faces west to the harbour, so the challenge was finding a way to orient key rooms towards the view, while bringing light into the plan. The key was exploring the courtyard house typology.

  • To accommodate the brief for a five-bedroom, four-bathroom home with study, chef’s kitchen, multiple gathering spaces and garaging, the building is embedded into the hillside, giving a modest, single-level appearance from the street.

  • A central courtyard cuts through the levels, bringing light and views through the interior, and offering an outdoor space, sheltered from the wind. The kitchen flows out onto the poolside western terrace – paved in cooling coral-stone.

A timeless palette of limestone bricks and coralstone paving set the blend with Balinese tiles.

  • Architecture Studio Johnston
  • Interiors Dreamtime
  • Builder Ellis Constructions
  • Structural SDA
  • Landscape Miles Baldwin
  • Photography Dave Wheeler, George Popov