Emerald Sound by Luigi Rosselli Architects and Atelier Alwill

Emerald Sound is a distinctive, nature-inspired home in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, featuring design elements that reflect the coastal beauty and spirit of the blue groper.

Situated in a curving beachside bay in Eastern Sydney, Emerald Sound is a family home crafted to exemplify a rich natural context of water and wildlife. As a collaborative project between Luigi Rosselli Architects and Atelier Alwill, the tones and textures of Emerald Sound evoke the sense of a private oasis, supplemented with bold and unapologetic design gestures that reference a native occupant of the coastal waters below, the blue groper.

“The intention for the design was to create a dialogue with its natural rather than its man-made surroundings,” says Luigi Rosselli, director of his eponymous practice.

Emerald Sound sits at the edge of steep concave topography typical of Gordons Bay, a secluded coastal neighbourhood in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. Although constrained by dense and undefined buildings to most boundaries, the location is afforded uninterrupted views north-east across the Pacific Ocean. “The intention for the design was to create a dialogue with its natural rather than its man-made surroundings,” says Luigi Rosselli, director of his eponymous practice. Critical to this dialogue was a brief concerned with the immediate and ongoing environmental impact of a new home at the edge of a marine reserve and the ambition to mitigate any adverse effects. “As with all our projects, the underlying design principle was one of conservation, preservation and reuse,” he asserts, explaining the decision for substantial reuse of a building already occupying the hillside. Although the existing house had many good aspects, there were several improvements to be made by way of a holistic architectural and interior design strategy.

“The clients live very casually,” adds Romaine Alwill, principal of Atelier Alwill, “so it was important the house was informal and promoted easy living, specifically, a connection to the ocean.” A seamless collaboration between the architecture and interiors underpinned the vision for the project. The culmination of this design ambition, alongside a rich and vibrant material palette drawn from the context, is a building that appears in the image of a beachside oasis, abundant with the shimmering colours of emerald, teal and aquamarine. “The home feels grounded but light and unpretentious – easy to live in,” says Alwill, comparing the design narrative to the subtle aesthetics of homes synonymous with Palm Springs and Malibu – “a gentle nod to the ’70s”.

“As with all our projects, the underlying design principle was one of conservation, preservation and reuse.”

The massing strategy of Emerald Sound evokes the sense of water; the movement of waves and currents of the bay below are reflected in the elevations of the house. An undulating facade of turquoise glass fins rolls across the upper storey and encloses a generous primary bedroom suite. Rosselli explains that this space – formerly a neglected, windswept terrace – is perhaps the most definitive element of the refurbished structure. “The wave shape and blue glass are references to the ocean and the blue groper,” he says, elaborating on the abstraction of water used throughout. At the heart of the living spaces, a sculptural fireplace – formed from half-round ceramic cylinders – anchors the interiors and emulates the external presence of the building.

With the blue groper as the departure point for the design narrative, Alwill describes the extensive application of a varied textural palette, which often references the scales and fins of the fish in colour and relief. Most prominently, a glazed turquoise tile arranged in a herringbone pattern across external walls appears alive with vibrant movement and texture, akin to light shimmering across the water’s surface. Materiality is supplemented by more subtle gestures throughout Emerald Sound, such as a brass and leather screen to the main stairwell. “Floor tiling was key to grounding the interior,” says Alwill, “creating a home that had a practical but soft feel, integrating the idea of textures of the cove throughout the house in good measure and balance without looking too beachy.” Here, the ambition was to reference the design inspiration by way of slowly revealing elements as an intentional experience of moving through the home.

The massing strategy of Emerald Sound evokes the sense of water; the movement of waves and currents of the bay below are reflected in the elevations of the house.

The beginning of this experience is defined by a walled entry courtyard. Formerly used for parking, Rosselli describes the aspiration for a new, tranquil arrival sequence that welcomes visitors and occupants into the home with a promise of the oasis to be experienced ahead – “a secluded and enclosed tropical garden perfect for contemplating the abstractions of daily life”. This entry serves to close off the street before Emerald Sound begins to unfurl with curated glimpses through the interior of the home to the views beyond. The verdant tones of the garden subtly transition from organic vegetation to the rigid walls of the house, interweaving the natural context with the built form. Beyond the threshold, an open-plan layout hosts shared spaces – kitchen, dining and living – with a permeable edge open to a garden reminiscent of a luxury resort. A glimmering infinity pool blurs the edges of the garden with the ocean beyond, as if to stretch the home out endlessly to the horizon. Above, a second storey of private accommodation is characterised by organic volumes, aquamarine glass and cascading planting, all of which serve to further integrate Emerald Sound into the oceanside environment.

The success of Emerald Sound is hard to identify in a single attribute; it is ultimately the culmination of a collaborative partnership between client, architect and interior designer. The technical performance of the home is matched in equal measure by the aesthetic cohesion of architecture and interiors, intelligently integrated within the shell of an existing structure. Here, Luigi Rosselli Architects and Atelier Alwill bring the elegance of a modernist retreat to the beloved marine environment with the whimsy and understated beauty of the bay.

Architecture by Luigi Rosselli Architects. Interior design by Atelier Alwill. Build by Ginardi. Landscape design by Dangar Barin Smith. Custom glass verandah by Tilt Industrial Design.