Unfolding from its original cottage characteristics at the front to an expansive contemporary rendition commanding sweeping views across Sydney Harbour, the Opera House and Barangaroo at the rear, Lavender Bay House is a bold new residence comprehensively reimagined through a process of undoing and meticulous reassembly.
Bungalow Blonde
Lavender BAY
Location
Lavender Bay, NSW
Builder
Kinn Construction
Team
Bronwyn Litera, Areebah Aslam
The harbour-side home, once an awkward jumble of renovations and additions, has had its interior carved out and built anew. Keeping to the original building envelope, a new cohesive layout now flows across multiple levels tiered down the steep rock face to maximise spatial fluidity, views and circulation.
Entry, via a polished gantry affixed to the side of the property, allows for direct sightlines onto Sydney Harbour, drawing navigation in and through the street level which is the main living zone of the house. Below, the middle level of the residence now contains two-bedroom suites while below that, the lower level has been excavated further into the rock to create the perfect conditions for a wine cellar and entertaining space seamlessly connected to the garden beyond and to the upper levels by stairs and lift. Above, the upper-most level of the Lavender Bay House contains a fourth bedroom with double dormer windows that frame spectacular outlooks.
Lavender Bay House is a home that mediates between eras, from a facade that remains anchored by late 19th-century expressions to the fluid mid-century camber of terraces and balustrades across the back. Curves become reconciliatory tools with contoured glazing making views appear infinite, walls and ceilings coming together in soft transitions and boldly dramatic architectural statements such as a sculptural spiral staircase that hold their own within the breathtaking aspect the locale enjoys.
