Woollahra Village House by Tobias Partners

Tobias Partners transforms a compact heritage home in Woollahra into a light-filled sanctuary, where spatial clarity and material restraint create a quietly refined living experience.

Inside Woollahra Village House, a sense of calm prevails. Oak joinery, Artedomus Lait travertine flooring and lime-wash plaster walls create a tactile, timeless palette, while natural light and openness enhance the dwelling’s generous yet understated charm. Rather than extending beyond its existing footprint, the design embraces the home’s scale, carefully reconfiguring the spaces to unlock a greater sense of flow and liveability.

The residence is structured around a series of considered thresholds, where intimate, enclosed spaces transition seamlessly into open, light-filled zones.

The residence is structured around a series of considered thresholds, where intimate, enclosed spaces transition seamlessly into open, light-filled zones. At the front, a library offers a quiet retreat, its sense of enclosure juxtaposed with the openness of the living, dining and kitchen areas beyond. A central courtyard punctuates the home, introducing greenery and light while enabling a natural ebb and flow between spaces. Designed in collaboration with Myles Baldwin Design, the courtyard is anchored by a mature Chinese elm – raised to protect its roots – softening the division between indoors and out. Handmade brick walls enclose the courtyard, providing a sense of grounding, while finely detailed steel portals and zinc-clad elements echo the house’s broader material restraint.

Above, two ensuite bedrooms are defined by their opposing pitched roofs – a deliberate move that maximises both natural light and cross-ventilation while preserving the rhythm of the heritage streetscape. A central stair void, conceived as an architectural gesture in its own right, draws light deep into the plan. Floating timber treads and translucent screening introduce a soft interplay of shadow and movement throughout the day.

Beyond its material refinement, the project’s success lies in its restraint.

Beyond its material refinement, the project’s success lies in its restraint. Rather than maximising the site’s allowable footprint, Tobias Partners opted for a two-storey form over the permitted three, prioritising light, openness and a sense of calm. This decision reflects a broader philosophy – one that champions spatial generosity over sheer scale, and quality over quantity.

Across the courtyard, a self-contained studio above the garage extends the home’s functionality, offering flexibility for guests or future use as a residence. Clad in zinc and steel, it carries a quiet robustness that reinforces the architectural language of the main dwelling.

Woollahra Village House is an exercise in clarity and refinement.

Woollahra Village House is an exercise in clarity and refinement. By doing less, Tobias Partners has achieved more, allowing the architecture, materials and interplay of light and space to define a home that feels both timeless and deeply attuned to its surroundings.

Architecture and interior design by Tobias Partners. Build by Cumberland Building. Landscape design by Myles Baldwin Design. Stone by Artedomus. Lighting by Euroluce.