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A Clear View: Belah House by Jamie Durie and Silvester Fuller
At Belah House, Jamie Durie and Silvester Fuller create a luxurious, sustainable family home on Sydney’s Pittwater, where Luxaflex high-performance window coverings enhance efficiency, comfort and style.
Belah House is a new luxury residence that stands confidently when it comes to sustainability. Renowned Australian landscape designer Jamie Durie collaborated with Silvester Fuller to conceive a beautiful, efficient home for himself and his family – with a low environmental footprint. Located in Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the home sits on a steep, ecologically sensitive site along Strokes Point on Pittwater, where the western sun pours in daily. Its name, Belah – a First Nations term for sun – reflects this elemental connection.
The multi-storey home, which Durie describes as epitomising “barefoot luxury”, winds through established trees, opening to water views from each level and terrace. Rounded edges ease the building’s form into the landscape, while lush planter boxes evoke a cascading hanging garden.
Inside, low-impact materials and conscious furnishings – all with advanced environmental technologies – were key to creating a green home. To meet the challenges of the western orientation, Durie worked with the Luxaflex team to layer high-performance window coverings from the outside in. These solutions were specifically chosen as they’re designed and tested to withstand the demands of the Australian elements. “It was very important that we built a number of lines of defence through furnishings, awnings, fabrics, blinds and curtains,” says Durie. “All of those elements help us conserve energy and therefore create a more efficient home.”
Luxaflex high-performance window coverings were specifically chosen as they’re designed and tested to withstand the demands of the Australian elements.
Luxaflex Zion Raw Linen curtains, which are crafted from 100 per cent linen, were selected to diffuse sunlight and frame rooms with a delicate texture.
The approach begins outside, where large, forest-green Luxaflex Dickson canvas awnings extend over the pool terrace and cast a rich shade into the living spaces during the afternoon. The awning’s colour perfectly complements the home’s expansive greenery, a key factor in Belah House settling so unobtrusively into the landscape.
From there, Luxaflex interior solutions – including curtains, sheers and blinds – add to a deliberate and organic response to climate, insulation and style, across every space from the living area to bedrooms, bathrooms and the home gym. Luxaflex Zion Raw Linen sheer curtains, which are crafted from 100 per cent linen, were selected to diffuse sunlight and frame rooms with a delicate texture. “They let the light through but they soften the space,” says Durie.
Blinds on the living and mezzanine levels are made with Luxaflex Equascreen Fabric in Onyx, a sheer textile made from 50 per cent ocean-bound plastic and 50 per cent polyester. “We’re taking waste out of the oceans and turning it into something that’s functional, tangible and beautifying our home,” says Durie. Halogen- and PVC-free – and available in seven ocean-inspired hues – Equascreen is one of the most technically advanced internal sunscreens on the market. At Belah House, it offers internal sun protection, helping to reduce fading, while preserving the home’s water views.
To regulate temperature, Luxaflex Duette Shades provide critical insulation. Made from a 90 per cent recycled polyester called Thea, their unique honeycomb structure traps air in three internal pockets, helping to keep rooms cool and reduce heating costs by up to 54 per cent*. In Belah House, they are used in conjunction with the Zion curtains in spaces like the bedrooms and bathrooms, providing a double layer of protection as well as controlling light and ensuring privacy.
Deeply connected to its environment and attuned to the natural surroundings, Belah House embraces a responsible approach to luxury building. It’s a home designed to shift how you feel, and one where sustainability and design are inextricably linked.
Architecture by Jamie Durie and Silvester Fuller. Landscape design by Jamie Durie. Window coverings by Luxaflex.
