Our client’s love of modernism inspired this generous family home in Sydney’s east, echoing the early Modernist homes of Palm Springs. The house connects to its site with strong horizontal lines, large walls of windows framing garden vistas, open-planned living areas flowing effortlessly outdoors, and natural materials and motifs, with a high level of craftsmanship.

An irregular site, unusually wide, allowed a strong, planar street presence to be assembled, where the facade’s material language and logic continues through the interior: stacked stone, finely crafted steel and timber elements, detailed with marble and bronze, against a cool polished concrete floor.

Level changes in the site are used to separate zones in the house, while the living areas flow out to a private oasis where a deep stone terrace – custom-equipped for entertaining – and lush rear gardens surround a freeform swimming pool.

Sustainable design includes glazing that maximises light and airflow for natural thermal comfort, while rooftop solar panels and embedded rainwater tanks harvest natural resources to reduce consumption.